Former French snowboarder Julie Pomagalská died in Tuesday’s accident in the Swiss Alps.
The 40-year-old world champion in snowboarding in 1999 was overwhelmed by an avalanche with a guide, and rescuers were unable to free them in time.
According to police from the canton of Uri, they belonged to a group of four skiers who were moving in open terrain on the slope of Mount Gemsstock. The avalanche pulled three people, one man escaped with minor injuries. “The other two were completely overwhelmed. Unfortunately, the help for them came too late,” the police said in a statement. What caused the avalanche to fall is still being investigated.
In addition to snowboarding, Pomagalská also devoted herself to alpine disciplines, winning silver in the parallel giant slalom at the 2003 World Championships. A year later, she dominated the overall ranking of the World Cup in snowboarding, rejoicing in the victory in the World Championships nine times.
At the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, she finished sixth in the parallel giant slalom, achieving the same result four years later in Turin. She ended her career the following year.
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