MOSCOW, Aug 14 Ola Vigen Hattestad, coach of the Slovenian cross-country skiing team, named 19-year-old skier Hana Mazi Yamnik, who died during preparation for the season, was a ray of sunshine in the team. On Thursday, the Ski Association of Slovenia (SZS) reported that Yamnik tragically died during preparation for the season. According to the Norwegian publication VG, on Thursday morning, during a training session on rollerskis, Yamnik was hit by a truck in a tunnel in the commune of Strand. The driver is accused of violating traffic rules, he himself does not plead guilty and insists that what happened is a tragic accident. «Then there was already a good spread in distance. This often happens when we train on rollerskis, the distance between athletes increases rapidly. Hana didn't show up for her scheduled stop,» Hattestada was quoted as saying by NRK. «Hana was a ray of sunshine on our team. She was the youngest, she was only 19 years old, but she showed great concern for those around her. The last few days have been difficult. It's still hard for me. What happened is starting to get to me.» Yamnik has been included in the Slovenian national team for the upcoming season.
