Cyprien Sarrazin is ‘conscious’ after the French skier was airlifted to hospital on Friday amid a nasty downhill training crash in Bormio. Sarrazin hit a bump before a left-hand turn, which dramatically sent him up into the air during a run at the Italian resort, before falling hard on his back.
![[Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Downhill Training]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2191571457.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594)
He was seen tumbling down the slope – and was swiftly treated by medics – with a helicopter flying him to hospital just 15 minutes after the crash. The French Ski Federation has since confirmed Sarrazin is ‘conscious’ while Eurosport reports that Sarrazin has only suffered a ‘foot injury’.
![[Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Downhill Training]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2191571542.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594)
Sarrazin enjoyed breakthrough success in the 2023-24 season – winning in Bormio – and was hoping to emerge victorious for the second year in a row. He had set the fastest time on the first training run, but is now set to miss Saturday’s race and will instead undergo tests in hospital.
Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer Marco Odermatt – who had a heated battle with Sarrazin in the speed disciplines last winter – watched the dramatic fall and told Blick: ‘As an athlete, you don’t want to see that.’. Odermatt admits that the fall spot is particularly treacherous – and didn’t have the impression that Sarrazin risked too much.
‘There’s just a snow change, so you need a lot of feeling there and it can’t take much,’ he added. Speaking to Eurosport, Odermatt said: ‘That’s something you hate as an athlete. ‘The slope is mostly icy, but there are also less icy spots. This makes it more difficult to have the right setup for every turn.
