Tour de France pays respects to 19-year-old cyclist who died after a crash in Italy
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Privitera crashed in the first stage of the Tour of Valle D'Aosta in the northwestern municipality of Pontey on Wednesday.
Race organizers said the circumstances of the accident were 'still unclear and are being investigated by public safety authorities.'
Privitera was a member of the Hagens Berman Jayco team, the development team for Jayco Alula, which is racing at the Tour de France and whose members including Ben O'Connor wore black armbands.
'Samuele was and always will be the life and personality of this team,' Hagens Berman Jayco team director Axel Merckx said in a statement. 'This team has always been a small family, and moments like this are unimaginable. He was irreplaceable. His joy, his spirit, his kindness, was always a bright light to whatever room or race that he was in at that moment. To lose him is devastating beyond words.'
Italian media reports said Privitera crashed on a descent about 35 kilometers from the finish in Aosta at a speed of almost 70 kph. He reportedly lost his helmet and crashed into a barrier.
The second stage of the Tour of Valle D'Aosta was canceled and participating teams were being given a choice whether to continue with the third stage on Friday.
Tour de France riders also expressed their sorrow on social media.
'Rest in peace,' race favorite Tadej Pogačar, who crashed on Wednesday, wrote on Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Léon Marchand tries to break his own 200 IM world record at the swim worlds in Singapore
Singapore – Léon Marchand of France is out to break his own world record in Thursday's 200-meter individual medley at the swimming world championships in Singapore. If you missed it, Marchand set the record on Wednesday in the semifinals at the worlds – 1 minute 52.69 seconds. That shattered the old mark of 1:54.00 held by American Ryan Lochte since 2011. Of course, Marchand's victory is almost assured. The only question is by how much. A four-time gold medalist a year ago in the Paris Olympics, Marchand will share the stage on Day 5 with Canada's Summer McIntosh. McIntosh will go for her third medal in Singapore, this time in the 200 freestyle. Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia and American Regan Smith are the main rivals. She has already won gold in the 200 IM and 400 freestyle. McIntosh is bidding for five individual gold medals in Singapore after winning three individual Olympic gold medals in Paris. Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese swimmer, is the eighth-fastest qualifier in the field as she tries to reach the podium. She was fourth in the 200 IM. Three other finals are on the day's program and the Americans have shots. The United States has won only three gold medals in Singapore with the team battling a stomach bug picked up in training camp in Thailand. Head coach Greg Meehan has suggested team health is improving. In the men's 100 freestyle, American Jack Alexy and Romanian David Popovici were the quickest qualifiers. Popovici has already won the 200 free in Singapore. He was the gold medalist at 200 in Paris and took bronze in the 100. American Regan Smith has the quickest time in the 50 backstroke followed very closely by Lauren Cox of Britain, American Katharine Berkoff, and Wan Letian of China. The last final of the day is the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
German biathlete Dahlmeier dies after mountaineering accident
PESHAWAR: German double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management and local authorities confirmed on Wednesday. The accident occurred around noon on Monday, at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters at Laila Peak, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Tuesday. Dahlmeier was climbing with her mountaineering partner when she was struck by a sudden rockfall in the Hushe Valley, part of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Poor weather conditions prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the site. Two teams of expert climbers from Germany and the United States deployed to search her confirmed that she had died, regional government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said. 'Laura Dahlmeier died on 28 July in a mountain accident on Laila Peak (6,069 meters) in Pakistan's Karakoram range,' her management said in a statement. 'A recovery operation was launched but ultimately called off on the evening of 29 July.' Her representatives added that Dahlmeier most likely died instantly, while her mountaineering partner was unharmed. 'It was Laura Dahlmeier's express and written will that in a case like this, no one should risk their life to recover her,' they said. 'It was her wish to leave her body behind on the mountain in this case. This is also in line with the wishes of her relatives.' Faraq said the regional authorities would respect any decision by her family. The provincial government spokesperson also identified the climbing partner as Marina Eva Krauss. Krauss successfully descended to base camp and is reported to be in good health, he added. The 31-year-old Dahlmeier retired from biathlon in 2019, aged 25, a year after becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics. OLYMPIC TRIBUTE 'Laura made history at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics as the first female biathlete to win sprint and pursuit gold at the same Games edition. She will be remembered forever,' the President of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry said. The German Olympic Sports Confederation expressed deep sorrow at the news. 'She was more than an Olympic champion — she was someone with heart, attitude and vision,' it said in a statement on X. Dahlmeier, who was born in the Bavarian ski town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was also honored by the premier of her home state, Markus Soeder, who said 'she was ambitious and successful, yet always remained humble and close to her homeland.' The International Biathlon Union also expressed its condolences. 'Laura's energy and passion for life touched so many around the world. Her legacy, both within biathlon and beyond, will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire countless athletes and adventurers for generations to come,' it said.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Pakistan searches for missing German Olympic biathlon champion Dahlmeier after rockfall
PESHAWAR: Rescue teams on Wednesday continued to search for missing German biathlete and double Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier, who was seriously injured in Pakistan after being struck by a rockfall while climbing, a provincial government spokesperson said. The accident occurred on Monday when Dahlmeier was hit by a landslide in Hushe Valley in the northern mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan province, while attempting to summit the 6,094-meter Laila Peak. A helicopter conducted a search operation on Laila Peak on Tuesday evening but 'found no signs of life,' spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said. 'She is missing. We are searching. No one knows where she is,' he said. Two teams of expert climbers from Germany and the United States have been deployed, he said. Faraq added that a helicopter rescue operation was not possible due to adverse weather conditions. 'Nothing is visible down there,' he said. The accident occurred around noon on July 28, at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters at Laila Peak, said the Alpine Club of Pakistan. Dahlmeier, 31, was climbing with her mountaineering partner when a sudden rockfall hit her, resulting in significant injuries, it said in a statement. The provincial government spokesperson identified the climbing partner as Marina Eva Krauss. Krauss successfully descended to base camp and is reported to be in good health, he added. Dahlmeier retired from biathlon in 2019, aged 25, a year after becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics. Her management did not respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters. Pakistan's northern mountainous regions have experienced heavy flooding and landslides, killing several local tourists during the current monsoon spell of rains. Flooding and other rain-related accidents have killed 288 people in Pakistan since the monsoon season began in late June, says the country's National Disaster Management Authority.
