With great sadness, we say goodbye. The head coach of Slovenia has just tragically passed away in a traffic accident along with his mother and wife…
With profound sorrow, we report the tragic passing of Drago Grubelnik, former Slovenian alpine skier and head coach of the Bulgarian national ski team, who died in a car accident on November 17, 2015, at the age of 39. The accident occurred near the Austrian resort of Sölden, when the vehicle he was driving veered off a mountain road and rolled down a hill. citeturn0search1
Grubelnik’s mother and wife were not reported to be involved in the accident. The crash resulted in injuries to Bulgarian skier Albert Popov and assistant coach Dimitar Hristov, who were hospitalized following the incident. citeturn0search1
Born on January 15, 1976, in Radlje ob Dravi, Slovenia, Grubelnik had a distinguished career as an alpine skier, representing Slovenia in three consecutive Winter Olympics from 1998 to 2006. He achieved a notable third-place finish in slalom at Wengen, Switzerland, in January 2000. After retiring from competitive skiing in 2007, Grubelnik transitioned to coaching, taking the helm of the Bulgarian national ski team in 2013. citeturn0search2
The skiing community mourns the loss of a dedicated athlete and mentor. The Bulgarian Ski Federation expressed its deepest condolences to Grubelnik’s family and wished a swift recovery to the injured. citeturn0search1
