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Losing a friend and dealing with the pain of the loss is not easy. And for legendary skier Lindsey Vonn, losing a fellow skier has been devastating. Recently, Italian alpine skier Elena Fanchini passed away at the age of 37. Fanchini was a silver medalist at the 2005 World Championships and Vonn’s good friend.

While the entire skiing world mourned the loss of the 37-year-old skier, Vonn had a special message for Fanchini. The legend shared a heartwarming video of them while competing, on Twitter. And though the moment was tough to relive, Vonn wanted to keep up the good memories and honor Fanchini with kind words.

Lindsey Vonn and Elena Fanchini shared an adorable moment

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In 2018, Fanchini skipped the Winter Olympics in Korea due to her ongoing cancer treatment. But the champion pushed through treatment and made it back to the hills in 2019 after beating cancer. However, her happiness was short-lived when she officially announced her retirement in 2020, post serious injuries. Cancer also returned two years later, and Fanchini eventually passed. Vonn took to Twitter to share some heartfelt words for her fellow competitor.

Vonn shared a video clip of her and Fanchini in a sweet embrace during a match. This adorable moment was captured by the media, who witnessed the two legends interact and smile briefly before getting back to the show. While sharing the video, Vonn paid her respect to the Italian skier, with some heartfelt words.

Read More: “Crashing Is Just a Part of Our Job”: Lindsey Vonn Takes Death in Stride as Part of Her Passionate Profession

Her tweet read, “Always smiling and warm. Will miss Elena dearly. Rest in peace my friend”. The words referred to Fanchini humbly approaching Vonn in the video and how her infectious smile made the legend break into a grin as well. Over the years, Vonn has witnessed many losses in the skiing world. In 2022, Vonn mourned the loss of another fellow skiing legend and mountaineer.

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Vonn mourned the loss of another ski legend – Hilaree Nelson

In 2022, legendary skier and mountaineer Hilaree Nelson passed away after she went missing while skiing down Mount Manaslu in the Himalayas. Her body was found later, but the world had lost a gem in the form of Nelson. Vonn immediately paid her respects and mourned the loss of the legend.

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Vonn called Nelson the greatest mountaineer of the current generation and wrote, “Cheers to all you have achieved on earth and to the mountains you’ll climb up in heaven”. The loss was devastating due to its unexpected and sudden nature, but Vonn and other sportspersons recognized Nelson’s contributions to the sport.

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