“What Weighs the Heaviest Is the Loss”: Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin Devastated After Italian Skier Dies at 37 From Tumor

The skiing world is devastated by the loss of its beloved skier, Elena Fanchini. Condolences from the entire industry are pouring in for the Italian skier. Elena Fanchini passed away on 8 February 2023 at the age of 37 after her long battle with cancer. Skiers, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, also mourned the loss on social media with their respective heartfelt messages. 

Elena Fanchini was a silver medallist at the 2005 World Championships. She had to unwind from her career after getting diagnosed with a tumor that prohibited her from returning to skiing. After December 2017, she could never return to the ice slopes. Her early demise has touched the veteran and current skiers who grieved the heavy loss. 

Lindsey Vonn and Mikael Shiffrin share their condolences for the Italian skier

On the unfortunate event of the Italian skier’s early demise, Lindsey Vonn shared a heartfelt message for Elena Fanchini on her Instagram story. It read, “RIP Elena. What a loss for the whole family and skiing community” Both Fanchini and Vonn were competitors during their era. They even competed in the 2015 World Cup championship where the Italian skier won the world cup in the downhill category. 

Two-time Olympic gold medallist, Mikaela Shiffrin also shared consoling words for Elena’s family and the skiing community. She posted a happy picture of Elena Fanchini from one of her championships. Mikaela wrote in her post, “This was a day filled with emotions. There is so much I’d like to share… but what weighs the heaviest is the loss of @elenafanchini85. I’m sending my condolences to the whole Fanchini Family, who have had such a strong and positive impact on our sport and our world with their passion and most importantly, always kindness.”

Furthermore, Shiffrin also shared condolences for the grieving Italian skiing team with whom she has been spending a great time at the Alpine skiing championships at Meribel, France. The four-time overall World Cup champion wrote that they come across as a family to the US team. Being with them for so long, Mikaela appreciates the love and strength of the Italian skiers and was “cheering for their entire team, now more than ever.”

Read More: “Falling Doesn’t Mean You’re a Failure”: Mikaela Shiffrin Bares the Pretense for Emotional Personal Project

Nevertheless, late skier Elena’s demise is more hard-hitting because she passed away exactly on the day when fellow Italian Marta Bassino won the super-G at the 2023 world championships. In other words, there were too many conflicting emotions to process for the team. It is always a sad moment for the entire sports fraternity to watch a young talent like Fanchini lose her battle with an uncompromising disease. However, she will continue to remain in the hearts of her family, fans, and the sports industry. 

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