Alberto Tomba Biography

1966-

Italian skier

For thirteen years, Alberto Tomba was the face of skiing. He was known as much for his off-the-slopes carousing and womanizing and for his outrageous comments as he was for his skiing, but his on-the-slopes prowess alone would have been enough to win him a place in skiing history. Over the course of his career he won fifty World Cup skiing events, thirty-five in slalom and fifteen in giant slalom. He also became the first skier ever to successfully defend an Olympic title, winning gold medals in slalom in two successive Winter Games, and the first to medal in three successive Olympic games. A taller, heavier, and more powerful slalomer than those who came before, Tomba revolutionized the style of slalom skiing. Instead of letting his skis come apart in the "skating step" between turns, Tomba kept them tight together, creating smoother turns. This style of slaloming has since been adopted by many current champions.