French downhill skier dies after training crash
French downhill skier David Poisson, a former medallist at the world championships, died on Monday following a training crash in Canada. He was 35.
The French Ski Federation said Poisson, who won the downhill bronze medal at the 2013 worlds, was training in the Canadian resort of Nakiska for World Cup races in North America. The federation did not elaborate.
An official with emergency medical services from nearby Calgary said a call came in midmorning Monday.
“When we arrived we assessed an individual and determined him deceased on scene,” said Calgary EMS spokesman Adam Loria.
“There was no chance for a hospital. We initially called out STARS (air ambulance) but once we made the determination we did stand the helicopter down.”
French sports minister Laura Flessel expressed her “sadness” and said she will look carefully into the circumstances of the crash.
Poisson, a bulky racer with a broad smile nicknamed “Caillou” (“small stone”), was a popular figure on the World Cup circuit.
He secured his only World Cup podium in 2015 when he came third in the Santa Caterina downhill in Italy, and was fourth in the prestigious Kitzbuehel downhill in 2013.
He also competed in the last Winter Olympics, and hoped to qualify for the Pyeongchang Games.
Members of Canada’s ski community also expressed their sorrow.
“Sending love and support to Poisson’s family, team and the entire ski racing community... David’s tragic accident is felt at the deepest level,” Tweeted Kerrin Lee-Gardner a former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medallist from Canada.