Skiing: Drone crash mars World Cup ski race

Drone almost hits skier Marcel Hirscher during a race on Italy. Photo / YouTube Screenshot

A drone crash near four-time defending overall champion Marcel Hirscher yesterday marred a World Cup slalom ski race that Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway won by a massive 1.25-second margin.

The drone, carrying a TV camera for the broadcast crew, crashed to the snow during Hirscher's second run just behind the Austrian. While Hirscher may have been hit by some small pieces, he didn't appear to notice.

"This is horrible," said Hirscher, who finished second. "This can never happen again. This can be a serious injury."

Still, Hirscher reclaimed the overall World Cup lead from Aksel Lund Svindal, who no longer races slalom.

The Olympic bronze medallist, Kristoffersen, earned his sixth World Cup victory. He also became the first man to win the opening two slaloms of the season since Austria's Reinfried Herbst six years ago.

The drone incident is not the first of its type. An Australian triathlete sustained minor injuries when hit by a falling drone in 2014 and this year drones crash-landed into the US Open tennis tournament as Flavia Pennetta and Monica Niculescu played, and a University of Kentucky football stadium during pre-game festivities.