Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, 26, dies in avalanche in Switzerland

Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, 26, dies in avalanche in Switzerland

Sophie Hediger, a Swiss snowboarder who represented the country at the 2022 Winter Olympics, died after an avalanche at a ski resort, officials said Tuesday. She was 26.

The incident occurred on Monday in the Arosa ski resort in Switzerland, the country’s ski association said in a statement.

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Sophie Hediger snowboards

Switzerland’s Sophie Hediger competes in the women’s snowboard cross qualifying round at the Winter Olympics on February 9, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

“We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences,” Walter Reusser, CEO of Swiss-Ski, said in a statement.

“The tragic death of Sophie Hediger casts a dark shadow over the Christmas season for the Swiss ski family. We are incredibly sad. We will honor Sophie’s memory,” he added.

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Hediger took part in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She competed in snowboard cross and mixed team snowboard cross. She failed to qualify for the quarterfinals in the singles and her team lost in the semifinals in the mixed doubles.

Hediger bounced back in 2023 when she won a gold medal at the FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, New York. She was one of three Swiss participants to win gold medals.

Snowboarders will compete in 2022

Charlotte Bankes from Great Britain, Sophie Hediger from Switzerland and Kristina Paul from the Russian Olympic Committee in action. (Reuters/Lisi Niesner)

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She then achieved two podium finishes in the World Cup, including a second place in St. Mortiz in January.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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