The young life of Matteo Franzoso has come to a tragic end in a clinic in Santiago, Chile. Local doctors announced yesterday that the 25-year-old Italian skier succumbed to the consequences of a severe head injury and subsequent cerebral edema sustained after a fall during training on Saturday at La Parva, about 50 km from the Chilean capital.
Franzoso, who would have turned 26 today, September 16, lost control after the first small jump of the training course, was thrown forward into the safety nets, and after clearing two lines of them, struck a barrier located six to seven meters off the track. He was immediately airlifted to the hospital, admitted to intensive care, and placed in a medically induced coma. Despite medical efforts, his condition deteriorated and his body could not withstand the trauma.
Remembered within the federation as a cheerful, kind, and smiling young man, Franzoso had arrived in La Parva on September 6 for a snow training session alongside fellow speed specialists Mattia Casse, Florian Schieder, Guglielmo Bosca, Christof Innerhofer, Benjamin Alliod, Nicolò Molteni, Marco Abbruzzese, and Giovanni Franzoni, later joined by Dominik Paris.
Franzoso made his World Cup debut on December 17, 2021, in the Val Gardena super-G. Over his career, he competed in 17 World Cup races (11 super-Gs and 6 downhills), with his best result being a 28th place in the super-G of Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 28, 2023. That same year, he also won the Italian national title in the combined discipline. His most recent World Cup appearance came last March in Kvitfjell, Norway.