World Super-G champion Regine Cavagnoud has died from injuries sustained in a high-speed collision during training in Austria two days ago.

The Frenchwoman suffered severe brain damage and internal injuries after hitting German trainer Markus Anwander as he crossed her track on the Pitz Valley glacier in the Tyrol.

A statement from Innsbruck hospital said: "Cavagnoud died this morning from her severe injuries. Decisive was the severe damage to the brain."

Cavagnoud, from La Clusaz, had been too weak to undergo any more surgery on Tuesday and needed resuscitation on the glacier after suffering temporary heart failure.

Cavagnoud had started the season in fine style when she placed a surprise third in the opening giant slalom at Soelden, just two days before her fatal crash.

The Tyrolean provincial police said the accident appeared to have been the result of a tragic misunderstanding between the French and German ski teams, who were both training on the glacier west of Innsbruck.

"After the last German racer had finished her run, Anwander skied onto the piste just as Cavagnoud sped over a hidden hump."

"The downhill training course was cordoned off from the public. Both head coaches had agreed that the track would be smoothed over after the fourth run," the police said in a statement.

Cavagnoud had started the season in fine style when she placed a surprise third in the season-opening giant slalom at Soelden, just two days before her fatal crash.

Her death is the first of a top flight skier during competition or training since Austria's Ulrike Maier broke her neck after crashing in a World Cup downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany in 1994. Anwander's situation remained critical, although it has stabilised.

[Reuters/AP]

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