Dead Elena Fanchini, sister of Nadia and Sabrina, was 37 years old. She was sick with cancer

Skier Elena Fanchini, 37, died of cancer. In her career she had won silver in the downhill at the World Championships in Bormio / Santa Caterina Valfurva and two World Cup races, always downhill. She was the sister of Nadia, also world champion silver in 2013, and of Sabrina. She had defeated the disease in 2018 and returned to the slopes, before finally retiring in April 2020. Then in August of last year she relapsed. Ill for some time, she died in her home in Solato, in the province of Brescia.

Always together

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On 20 January, in the Cortina d’Ampezzo downhill, Sofia Goggia had dedicated her success, giving her the red bib of leader of the specialty: “This victory is for Elena Fanchini who is going through a delicate moment” her words. And Elena had thanked her. With just a year apart – Elena 37 years old, Nadia 36 – the two sisters have always grown up together, even competitively. Together they exploded at the World Championships in Bormio and Santa Caterina 2005, Elena with the silver medal in the downhill, the tears, the dedication to Pantani. “I remember those days as the most beautiful of my life – he told us -. It was all magical”. To then explain to us that, in addition to pushing her back from injuries, her skiing had also helped her in the battle against the tumor that attacked her a few months before the Pyeongchang Games. “In those moments skiing gave me a lot of strength – she revealed -. It was my thought when I was doing chemo”.

The carreer

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With a press release, the Italian winter sports federation wanted to remember the blue and his career. “Elena shone in the downhill of the 2005 World Championships in Santa Caterina Valfurva when, at not even 20 years old, she conquered an amazing silver medal behind Janica Kostelic. Sister of the former national teams Nadia and Sabrina, she took part in six editions of the World Championships and three Olympics.In the World Cup she conquered two victories downhill in Lake Louise in 2005 and in Cortina in 2015, for a total of four podiums, despite a repeated series of injuries that have never taken away her smile and ability to be loved by teammates and opponents. The President Flavio Roda and the whole family of the Italian Winter Sports Federation are close to Nadia, Sabrina, father Sandro and mother Giusi in these difficult hours”.

Gasport