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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Snowboard star dies on Mont Blanc | Snowboard star dies on Mont Blanc |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Former French Olympic snowboard champion Karine Ruby has died following a mountain accident on Mont Blanc, French police say. | Former French Olympic snowboard champion Karine Ruby has died following a mountain accident on Mont Blanc, French police say. |
| They say Ruby, aged 31, was found along with a second victim in a crevasse. A third person was airlifted to hospital. | They say Ruby, aged 31, was found along with a second victim in a crevasse. A third person was airlifted to hospital. |
| Ruby won the giant slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympiade in Nagano, Japan, and took silver medal in Salt Lake City four years later. | Ruby won the giant slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympiade in Nagano, Japan, and took silver medal in Salt Lake City four years later. |
| She also had had six snowboard world champion titles to her name. | She also had had six snowboard world champion titles to her name. |
| Since retiring in 2006, Ruby had been training to become a mountain guide. | |
| Fabien Saguez, technical director of the French Ski Federation, described her as "an icon of French sport (whose) impact went well beyond snowboard and skiing". | |
| In a statement, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon hailed Ruby as an "exceptional sportswoman". | In a statement, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon hailed Ruby as an "exceptional sportswoman". |
| He said: "Karine incarnated the emergence of snowboarding in France. | He said: "Karine incarnated the emergence of snowboarding in France. |
| "The people of France will hold on to the memory of her talent and her joie de vivre." | "The people of France will hold on to the memory of her talent and her joie de vivre." |