Marcel Hirscher: Austrian skiier narrowly avoids being hit by falling drone
Updated
9:14 AM EST, Wed December 23, 2015
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The drone fitted with a camera -- shown here prior to its crash -- landed just inches behind him at the top of the slope.
OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Despite the incident, Hirscher finished in second place, 1.25 seconds behind Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway in first and ahead of compatriot Marco Schwarz who finished third.
"This is horrible," Hirscher said after the event. "This can never happen again. This can be a serious injury." However, he saw a lighter side of the incident later, posting that there was "heavy air traffic in Italy" on his Instagram account.
"While FIS and its partners aim to use new technology to enhance the fan experience, an accident such as the drone crash cannot happen again," the statement read.
OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
The 26-year-old won a silver medal in the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and is the four-time defending World Cup Overall champion.