Nicolas Bochatay
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Bochatay was a Swiss speed skier
who died during the 1992 Winter Olympics
. Bochatay was killed when he collided with a snow grooming vehicle on the morning of the speed skiing finals
. He was the nephew of Olympic skier Fernande Bochatay
.
during the 1968 Winter Olympics
; these Games had been held at Grenoble, in France
.
, during the Albertville Games in 1992, Bochatay placed 13th in the men's race with a speed of 130 miles per hour (210 kilometers per hour). Speed skiing was a demonstration sport in these 1992 Games, thus Bochatay's death is not considered as during official competition.
The accident was fatal for Bochatay. It was said the internal injuries were the cause of death and his death was immediately after impact.
According to organizers, the machine had flashing lights and a siren while it was sitting behind a small hill. The Swiss team said the machine had been immobile behind the hill and had no sirens or flashing lights. Jean-Albert Corrand, director general of COJO, was the one to say the snow groomer was using a siren and flashing lights and was moving uphill towards the skiers as they were coming down. Witnesses say also that the machine did have a siren and flashing lights. It was also said that Bochatay was wearing slalom skis and not speed-skis when he crashed. The accident occurred on the last day before the end day of the 1992 Winter Olympics, on the morning of the speed-skiing final. Bochatay was the third athlete to die at a Winter Olympics, after British
luger Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski
and Australian skier Ross Milne
who both died at Innsbruck 1964
.
Speed skiing
Speed skiing is the sport of skiing downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible. It is one of the fastest non-motorized sports on land. The current world record for skiing is 251.4 km/h , held by Simone Origone...
who died during the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
. Bochatay was killed when he collided with a snow grooming vehicle on the morning of the speed skiing finals
Speed skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Speed skiing was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Winter Olympics. The venue was in Les Arcs, about 60 km from the host city Albertville. Michael Prufer, a 31 year old medical doctor from Savoie, improved his own 1988 world record by 5.558 km/h. Philippe Goitschel, the nephew of French ski...
. He was the nephew of Olympic skier Fernande Bochatay
Fernande Bochatay
Fernande Bochatay is a former Swiss alpine skier. At the 1968 Winter Olympics, she won the bronze medal in Giant Slalom....
.
Personal life
Bochatay, a carpenter, was twenty-seven years of age at the time of the accident. He was married and had two children. Fernande Bochatay, Nicolas's aunt, had won the bronze medal in the men's giant slalomGiant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
during the 1968 Winter Olympics
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
; these Games had been held at Grenoble, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Skiing
The 1991 Swiss Champion, Bochatay was among the best speed skiers. Speed skiing is a dramatic sport, with competitors flying down the slope at 120 miles per hour (195 kilometers per hour). At Les ArcsLes Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino...
, during the Albertville Games in 1992, Bochatay placed 13th in the men's race with a speed of 130 miles per hour (210 kilometers per hour). Speed skiing was a demonstration sport in these 1992 Games, thus Bochatay's death is not considered as during official competition.
Accident and death
On February 22, 1992, at around 9:30 am, Bochatay was warming up with a fellow teammate, Pierre Yves-Jorand, when he crashed into a machine used to groom snow on a public slope. Witnesses say that he wasn't going very fast when he hit the snow groomer.The accident was fatal for Bochatay. It was said the internal injuries were the cause of death and his death was immediately after impact.
According to organizers, the machine had flashing lights and a siren while it was sitting behind a small hill. The Swiss team said the machine had been immobile behind the hill and had no sirens or flashing lights. Jean-Albert Corrand, director general of COJO, was the one to say the snow groomer was using a siren and flashing lights and was moving uphill towards the skiers as they were coming down. Witnesses say also that the machine did have a siren and flashing lights. It was also said that Bochatay was wearing slalom skis and not speed-skis when he crashed. The accident occurred on the last day before the end day of the 1992 Winter Olympics, on the morning of the speed-skiing final. Bochatay was the third athlete to die at a Winter Olympics, after British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
luger Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki was a Polish-born British luge racer.Kay-Skrzypecki was a former pilot in the Royal Air Force. He died during one of the training runs for the first Olympic luge competition at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. Three days later, on 26 January 1964, Australian...
and Australian skier Ross Milne
Ross Milne
Ross Milne was an Australian Olympic downhill skier who died when he struck a tree during a practice run three days before the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria....
who both died at Innsbruck 1964
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
.