Nothing lasts forever! And it seems very true now! On October 23rd, Matilde Lorenzi and her boyfriend were living in the moment as they basked in the golden sunset on Es Vedra Island. Matilde looked absolutely joyful, wrapping her arms around him from behind as they posed against the colors of the sky. With him wearing that bright yellow cap, they were the picture of love, completely lost in their own little world. But just five days later, their world came crashing down in an unexpected turn of fate, as if an ill omen had cast a pall over their happiness.

On the 28th, tragedy struck during a training run on the Grawand G1 slope in Val Senales, Italy. Matilde Lorenzi, just 19 years old, fell face-first onto the hard ice and lost her life almost instantly. It’s just heartbreaking—who would’ve thought such a young life could be cut short? Her boyfriend, Federico Tomasoni, is still trying to wrap his head around it. Now, let me tell you a bit about Federico.

Federico is a 27-year-old ski cross athlete from Castione della Presolana, Italy, and he’s been making waves in the ski cross world as part of the C.S. Esercito team. He’s had an impressive career, with 36 starts in the World Cup and a few podium finishes in the European Cup. Right now, though, he’s completely heartbroken. He recently shared an Instagram story that tugged at all our heartstrings. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but life can change in the blink of an eye.

When Matilde Lorenzi was taking her last breaths in the hospital, her boyfriend, Federico Tomasoni, was right there with her. After she passed, he shared a really touching story on Instagram. In it, you could see Matilde lying in her hospital bed, covered with a white sheet, while Federico held her hand one last time. She had nail paint on her fingers, and a pulse monitor was still attached. His caption said, “You are the most beautiful thing that life could give me,” and honestly, it gives me goosebumps just writing that. He also added, “I love you, little star,” which is so heartfelt.

In another story, he reshared a post that Matilde had originally put up, but it looks like she deleted it later since it’s not on her Instagram feed anymore. In that picture, they were hugging, and the caption read, “I want to wake up where you are.”

But the last story that Federico shared was a video in which Matilde was at Es Vedra Island and in which she seemed to be fine, happy enjoying being in love. In the video, Federico says “ciao” to her, and Matilde Lorenzi answers with a similar “ciao” while smiling. Who would think that there was to be a final farewell? A simple sore quickly deteriorated into what was a deadly experience; a mere scratch shifted everything in a second.

Matilde Lorenzi- Bright Star snuffed out too soon

Nineteen-year-old skier Matilde Lorenzi tragically passed away following a training accident in the Schnalstal valley in South Tyrol. On October 28, 2024, she lost control and crashed face-first into the hard Grawand slope. After the accident, she was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Bolzano. Unfortunately, despite the medical team’s best efforts to work around the clock, she succumbed to her injuries. The Italian Ministry of Defense confirmed her passing and expressed their heartfelt condolences. Matilde would have turned 20 on November 15.

Matilde was in the Italian junior women’s team at the time of her participation in the match and she could have been a bright prospect for Italy. Before the summer break, she went into full season with outstanding success, securing a championship in both national Open and junior Super-G events early this year. The audience could see her potential last year when she came sixth in the downhill and eighth in the super-G at the Junior World Championships in Chatel, France.

Moreover, Matilde had her best European Cup finish in December 2023 securing 11th in Super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Italian Winter Sports Federation also reached out to her family and friends, making sure everyone who loved Matilde knows that her memory will always be cherished. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but she will never be forgotten.