Comeback dream lives on Sarrazin: "They took off half of my skull"
His fall shocks the ski world - Kitzbühel double winner Cyprien Sarrazin almost dies in Bormio at the end of 2024. Only with luck is he spared late effects. And has a bold plan.
02.12.2025, 07:55
dpa
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- Cyprien Sarrazin is working determinedly on his comeback: "I want to try again, come back and ski at the top level."
- The fact that the Frenchman can still hope to return to the World Cup at all and is not complaining about any late effects is something he considers to be very lucky.
- "I don't think you have many jokers in life - I had one and I used it perfectly," says the 31-year-old.
Cyprien Sarrazin was very lucky not to die in his horror crash in Bormio almost a year ago - but the Frenchman is still determined to make a comeback in the Ski World Cup. "I want to try again, come back and ski at the top level," said Sarrazin in an interview with Eurosport. But he doesn't want to do things by halves, the 31-year-old made clear: "If I realized that I wasn't good enough for top-class sport, I would stop - that's for sure."
Sarrazin fell heavily and hit his head during training for the downhill in Bormio at the end of 2024. He underwent emergency surgery due to a bleed on his brain and was in a coma for days before rehabilitation began. A large scar across half his head bears witness to the accident and the operation. "They removed half of the top of my skull," he said.
Sarrazin: "I was the luckiest man in the universe"
He is now "doing really well, I'm happy", said the downhill skier and Kitzbühel double winner from January 2024. "I've regained all my abilities, only my knees are still limiting me. But apart from that, I have no late effects. Nothing is stopping me from being who I was again. That's incredible luck - I'm not aware of it enough." Doctors would have allowed him to ski again months ago - but he is still waiting to take this step. "I am sensible."
Looking back on the hours after the crash, the Frenchman said: "Despite all the misfortune, I was the luckiest guy in the universe. Because everything went well after the accident. Normally there aren't many people who find their way back to a normal life without late effects." He added: "I don't think you have many jokers in life - I had one and I used it perfectly."
Because of Olympic test: neurosurgeon saved his life
Sarrazin explained that he possibly only survived because a neurosurgeon was in Bormio at the time for a trial run for the 2026 Winter Games. "If it had just been a normal World Cup, I wouldn't still be here. It was only because it was a test for the organizers with a view to the Olympics, to coordinate the procedures with the hospital, that this neurosurgeon was here at all. So I was incredibly lucky and it was very close."
