The world’s best Alpine skier was nearly taken out by a drone camera in the middle of a slalom run recently.
Marcel Hirscher, the four-time reigning World Cup overall champion, was about 10 seconds into his second run of a night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, when the camera crashed to the snow behind him, between the Austrian and the previous gate.
The drone carrying a TV camera for the broadcast crew crashed to the snow during Hirscher’s second run just behind the Austrian. While Hirscher may have been hit by some small pieces, he didn’t appear to notice.
“This is horrible,” Hirscher, who finished second, said. “This can never happen again. This can be a serious injury.”
Still, Hirscher reclaimed the overall World Cup lead from Aksel Lund Svindal, who no longer races slalom.