Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger killed in avalanche

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Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger killed in avalanche

Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger was tragically killed in an avalanche on Monday, according to the Swiss-Ski federation.

Hediger, 26, got caught in an avalanche at the mountain resort of Arosa in eastern Switzerland, the federation said.

PHOTO: Sophie Hediger takes 2nd place during the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Men’s and Women’s Snowboard Cross on January 26, 2024 in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Millo Moravski/agence Zoom/Getty Images)

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

The snowboarder and another companion were on a closed ****** diamond slope Monday afternoon, according to local police. She got struck by the avalanche after leaving the closed slope, police said. Her companion notified rescue services, and she was located about two hours later buried in the avalanche field, police said. A first responder attempted CPR but she died at the scene of the accident, police said.

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The athlete was a member of Switzerland’s national snowboard cross team and spent a lot of time in Arosa, where freeriding was a “beloved hobby,” Swiss-Ski said.

Hediger competed in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team snowboard cross.

PHOTO: Sophie Hediger of Team Switzerland competes during the Snowboard Mixed Team Cross Quarterfinals on Day 8 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park on February 12, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

She earned her first two World Cup podium places in the 2023-24 season. She placed second in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in January, followed by third in Gudauri, Georgia, in February.

She dreamed of winning a medal in the Ski Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland, in March, Swiss-Ski said.

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“For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays,” Reusser said. “We are immeasurably sad.”

ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian contributed to this report.

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