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'Profound emotion' France mourns loss of its 'great sportswoman'
Updated: Wednesday October 31, 2001 11:26 AM
PARIS (Reuters) -- France on Wednesday mourned and paid tribute to its top woman skier Regine Cavagnoud, who died from severe brain injuries sustained in a high-speed collision in Austria two days earlier. President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, Sports Minister Marie-George Buffet and the alpine town where she was born spoke of their sadness at the death of 31-year-old Cavagnoud, who died in an Austrian hospital on Wednesday. Chirac sent his condolences to Cavagnoud's parents and said France was proud of the champion skier's achievements. "It is with profound emotion that I have just learnt of the death of your daughter and, on behalf of the French nation, I convey to you, and those close to you, all my sympathy in these cruel and traumatic circumstances," Chirac said in a letter to the family, released by the president's office. "Regine will have left her mark on the skiing world by her limitless generosity and her outstanding courage in the face of adversity. "Her immense talent was realized last season in the most wonderful way when she won a gold at the world championships and she had become the pride of a region and of a whole nation," Chirac said. Buffet told reporters France had lost a "great champion" and "a woman who brought smiles to our faces every day." Separately, Jospin also paid tribute to Cavagnoud. "France today lost one of its great sportswomen, a courageous, reserved and pleasant young woman, who wanted to fight to the end," Jospin said in a statement. Grieving town The small mountain town of La Clusaz, where Cavagnoud spent her early years, was also grieving the death of its most celebrated daughter. The deputy mayor said the ski-station town was "dismayed" to hear the news. "We have just learnt of the death of Regine, our Regine, with immense sadness," Jacques Collomb-Patton said in a statement. "We keep in our memory the image of a young country girl -- lovable, headstrong, courageous, enthusiastic and smiling. These are the qualities that made her the huge champion that we all know." Cavagnoud won a gold medal in the super-G at the world championships at St Anton in February and finished third in last season's overall World Cup standings. She died from severe brain damage and internal injuries after ramming into a trainer at 100kph during practice on the Pitz Valley glacier in Tyrol, Austria. She had been in a coma since the crash. Alpine skiing world shockedThe world of Alpine skiing was shaken by the death on Wednesday of Regine Cavagnoud.Austria's Renate Goetschl, overall World Cup champion two years ago and runner-up last winter, said the sport had certainly lost one of its greatest personalities. Germany's world combined champion, Martina Ertl said: "This is a brutal shock for me. I had hoped so much that she would survive without any permanent damage. "Not just I, but everyone who has known her for years on the circuit are unbelievably sad." Austria's Brigitte Obermoser, who like Cavagnoud also competed in the speed disciplines of downhill and super-G, said she had respected Cavagnoud's fairness and ferocious talent as a skier. "It's difficult to grasp that she's now no longer with us. We had always met during training, in the hotels, on the pistes where you of course always speak to one another." Austria's Michaela Dorfmeister, who won last weekend's season-opening giant slalom on a glacier in nearby Soelden where Cavagnoud placed a surprise third, said she was devastated. "Now and again you do think during training that something can happen because so many people are on the course. But that it can be so horrific..." she said. Karl Frehsner, head trainer of the Austrian women's ski team, said the accident showed how one would never be able to eliminate residual risk from the sport. "Regine was a quiet, very pleasant athlete who made her mark on Alpine skiing with her personality and charisma," he said. "We must now do our utmost to ensure that our women racers do not lose their confidence." Goestchl said that despite Cavagnoud's accident, she would continue as normal. "One should never think that the same could happen to oneself as otherwise one would have to unclip ones skis and immediately stop skiing. "However bad this sounds, one still has to carry on," she said. Ricky disciplines Mathias Berthold, the Austrian women's trainer in the slower disciplines of giant slalom and slalom, said such accidents could never be ruled out. "It just goes to show again how dangerous downhill and super-G are." Fritz Wagnerberger, president of Germany's Ski Federation, whose women skiers were training on the glacier together with the French women when Cavagnoud crashed, said he was deeply shocked and was mourning for the French. "Words offer no comfort in such a situation. However, in this dark hour we would like to express our sincere condolences," he added. Cavagnoud, France's most prolific female winner on the circuit since Carole Merle, won eight World Cup races during her 10 years in competitive skiing and took part in three Olympics. She was her country's top contender for a medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics in February.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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