The sports world mourns! Elena Fanchini began her career as a ski racer in the late 90s. As a successful athlete, she took part in important competitions such as the Winter Olympics. At the 2005 World Championships, she won the silver medal and also secured two World Cup victories. However, a number of injuries also made her professional career difficult for the Italian – she ended her career in 2020. Elena died far too early…
The Italian winter sports association FISI has now confirmed that Elena passed away at the age of only 37. The ex-athlete is said to have suffered from cancer since last August – more details about the type of cancer are not known. Elena is survived by her two sisters, Nadine and Sabrina, who were also ski racers.
A benign tumor was discovered in Elena in 2018, which is why she was unable to take part in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Two years later, shortly before her comeback, she broke her fibula and decided to give up skiing.