A skier from Russia collapsed and died Friday while participating in a race during the Masters World Cup at Theodore Wirth Park, race officials said.
Medical professionals tended to the skier at the scene. The skier, whose name has not been released, was taken by ambulance to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, where he was pronounced dead.
Friday was the final day of the weeklong international cross-country skiing championship in Minneapolis. The event was hosted by the Loppet Foundation.
"An incident like this is always heartbreaking, especially coming at a time when people have come together around a celebration of our shared passion for skiing," Executive Director John Munger said in a statement on the Loppet Foundation's website.
"A tragedy like this is impossible to make sense of, and our hearts are broken over this loss. The skier spent his final moments doing something that he loved."
The Masters World Cup is open to skiers of all abilities who are 30 and older.
The cause of death has not been released.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
