Matilde Lorenzi and Federico Tomasoni. © Social Media

Friend of dead ski talent: “She’s still there”

At the end of October, 19-year-old Matilde Lorenzi died in a serious training accident in Schnals. Her boyfriend at the time, one of Italy's best ski crossers, now reflected on those dramatic days in an interview.

22 April 2025

From: sn

Matilde Lorenzi and Federico Tomasoni had only been a couple for six months when the accident happened. The 27-year-old's life was turned upside down from one day to the next. "It was a perfect relationship. We complemented each other in a way that will never happen again. We had a very strong bond," the ski crosser told Courier Bergamo.

The events of October 28 were all the more dramatic. Tomasoni recounts how Lorenzi texted him that morning, 'I love you to death.' "I read the entire chat again. It was something she had never sent before. And then she attached photos of the track where she would crash shortly afterwards," the Italian recounts.

He fights through

Time helped him process what had happened – which is why he can now talk openly about it. "But it was a shock to think that Matilde, the woman of my dreams, with whom I wanted to spend every day of my life, would become just a memory."

Federico Tomasoni is one of Italy's best ski crossers. © Pentaphoto

Tomasoni wanted to quit skiing. "But then I thought about the Olympic Games and the fact that my entire team has been working toward this goal for years: If I hadn't had this event in mind, I don't know if I would have made it," says the athlete from Lombardy, who achieved his two best World Cup results last season. He finished sixth in Val di Fassa and seventh in the race in San Candido.

The fact that he was able to free himself from the hole was also thanks to some coincidences that occurred before the accident. "Things that happened and took on a different meaning in light of the events. As if Matilde had to leave us." Tomasoni speaks of a handmade hat that Lorenzi gave him the day before the accident. Of one of his T-shirts, which Lorenzi wore to sleep in and returned the day before their departure to Schnals. Of an emotional conversation the two had before she boarded the team bus. "She cried and told me I had changed her life and that she didn't want to lose me."

“For the first month, I dreamed about her every night.” Federico Tomasoni

Even though Lorenzi is no longer by his side, Tomasoni feels her closeness – no matter where he is. "I encounter her in certain songs or in events that happen to me and show me that she's still there. For the first month, I dreamed about her every night. In those dreams, she told me incredible things," Tomasoni concludes.