French Alpine skier Cyprien Sarrazin sustained a subdural hematoma — a collection of blood between the skull and the brain — in a downhill training crash in Bormio, Italy, on Friday.
Sarrazin, 30, was set to undergo surgery Friday night to drain the hematoma. He will remain hospitalized in Italy under intensive care, according to the French ski federation.
Bormio hosts a World Cup downhill on Saturday and a super-G on Sunday.
Last season, Sarrazin ranked second on the World Cup in the downhill and won four individual races, the first in Bormio, one year after his World Cup downhill debut. Bormio will host men’s ski races at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
He also recorded back-to-back downhill victories at the famed Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, Austria, last January.
Before his recent speed success, Sarrazin was a giant slalom specialist whose best ranking in any discipline for one season was 15th.
He previously suffered significant collarbone, spine, leg and head injuries over his career, according to French media.
His best finish so far this season was second in a Dec. 7 super-G at Beaver, Creek, Colorado. He was fastest in the first Bormio downhill training run on Thursday.
