GENEVA —A Canadian racer died in a World Cup skicross event Saturday, tumbling through safety nets in what ski authorities called a “freak accident.”
Nik Zoricic, 29, died from head injuries when he crashed directly into the nets lining the side of the course after going wide over the final jump. As he went through the nets, his skis and poles were thrown clear.
Skicross — in which four racers jostle for an edge down a course of banks, rolls and ridges — debuted as an Olympic sport in 2010.
Max Gartner, president of Alpine Canada, said he was satisfied with the safety precautions in place for a sport sometimes described as “NASCAR on skis.”
“I would say it’s a freak accident, from here,” Gartner said during a conference call from Toronto. “It doesn’t happen often, but it’s devastating. We look at all our athletes as members of our family, so it’s hard.”
Zoricic was treated by doctors before being airlifted to a hospital at Interlaken. He was pronounced dead as a result of “severe neurotrauma.”
Zoricic died exactly two months after Winter X Games champion Sarah Burke crashed during halfpipe training in Park City, Utah. Burke died from her injuries nine days later. She was also 29.
