Former Slovenian slalom skier Drago Grubelnik, who had been head coach of the Bulgarian team since 2013, has died in a car crash in Austria, according to the Bulgarian ski federation.
The 39-year-old, who competed at three consecutive Winter Olympics from 1998 died on Tuesday after the car he was driving swerved off a mountain road and rolled down a hill near the Austrian resort of Soelden.
Grubelnik, who retired from competitive skiing in 2007, reached one World Cup podium in January, 2000 when he finished third in Wengen, Switzerland.
The federation said Bulgarian skier Albert Popov and assistant coach Dimitar Hristov were hospitalised after suffering injuries in the accident.
"The Bulgarian Ski Federation expresses its sincerest condolences to the family of Drago Grubelnik and prays for the quick recovery of Dimitar Hristov and Albert Popov," the federation said in a statement.
