Leonardo David

Who was Leonardo David?

Leonardo David was a World Cup alpine ski racer from northwestern Italy.

Born in Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Aosta Valley, he died of heart failure in Gressoney-La-Trinité after nearly six years in a coma, caused by injuries he sustained in a fall near Lake Placid, New York, on 3 March 1979.

David fell a few yards before the finish of the pre-Olympic downhill at Whiteface Mountain. He slid mostly on his back and his skis remained on. After coming to a stop, David arose and skied over to his coach, bent down to remove his skis, and collapsed. He was airlifted by military helicopter to Burlington, Vermont, where surgeons removed a blood clot in his brain.

He had fallen two weeks earlier, in the downhill race of the Italian national championships at Cortina d'Ampezzo, and a friend reported David had complained of ongoing headaches since. He had been examined by a neurosurgeon, but was allowed to join the Italian team for the conclusion of the World Cup season in North America and Japan.

Then age 18, David was a promising talent on the Italian team, in his first year on the World Cup circuit.