Sofia Goggia, moving farewell letter for Elena Fanchini
Sofia Goggia’s words
The day after the death of Elena Fanchini, Sofia Goggia posted on her Facebook page a long and moving farewell letter addressed to her friend and former teammate, who passed away at only 37 years old.
“The people I loved will always remain in my heart. They will remain in my heart, just like that feeling of togetherness and solidarity in which I desperately took refuge last night when, as soon as we learned the news, we girls and all of us – devastated – hugged each other tightly, silently crying, together: in life, moments happen where we suddenly realize that everything we pursue so assiduously is, after all, of relative worth, and yesterday was one of them.”
“It’s a sad, hard and extremely trying day for all of us, and by all of us I mean both the people back home who really loved you and your ‘ski family’ who equally loved you, the ones who in part have already retired and the ones who are still here trying to grab those hundredths of a lead that are essential to reach those dreams that , after all, drove us to start this adventure on skis, an adventure that has allowed us to share so much, including with you, dear Elly.”
“Today at the top of the Olympic slope here in Meribèl there was not a cloud but there was a lot of pain, mine, ours, the heartbreaking and deep one that only the soul can feel, the blue sky clouded only by tears, hidden however by the ski mask, whose lenses have always been for all of us the best filter through which to savor life, on the Snow and not. There is a pain in my chest that is throbbing and strong, that makes me feel bad, very bad but that makes me feel alive, and it is a pain that, however raw and excruciating it may be, urges us to go on. But in addition to this suffering I bring the knowledge that the love felt for the people we really loved will always accompany us, we can always find it in our hearts and we can always use it as the best resource to move forward: as your Vasco sings in Anima Fragile, “life goes on, even without us.” And you , dear Elly, have a special place in my heart and in the hearts of all of us. I feel you inside and I will carry you inside. Forever.”
