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1998 Olympic medalist in giant slalom Kestenholz died due to an avalanche
Ueli Kestenholz / Photo: © Jean-Yves Ruszniewski / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Swiss snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz died at the age of 50 due to an avalanche in the Lötschental valley, reports L’Équipe.
It is reported that the athlete was skiing at an altitude of approximately 2,400 meters with a skier he knew and was caught in an avalanche on Sunday in the canton of Valais (Switzerland). Kestenholz was hospitalized by helicopter in Visp and then transferred to the Sion hospital, where he eventually died. The other participant in the incident was not injured and was able to get out of the danger zone on his own.
Kestenholz is a bronze medalist in giant slalom snowboarding at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. The athlete ended his career in 2006 and later became interested in extreme activities. The Swiss was married and left behind two sons, aged 17 and 9.
Source: Sportbox
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