Deborah Compagnoni
Encyclopedia
Deborah Compagnoni (born June 4, 1970) is an Italian former Alpine skier
who won three gold medals at the 1992
, 1994
and 1998 Winter Olympics
.
, northern Lombardy
.
Compagnoni soon was noticed for her great talent. Her career was always marked by great successes, by also by great accidents. After her first great victory, the World Junior Title in Giant slalom, and her first podium in World Cup, she broke her right knee in the Val d'Isére downhill
. After the surgery operation she decided to abandon the downhill races, where her talented could have permitted even greater successes than those she obtained in her yet victorious career.
Compagnoni won her first race in the World Cup in 1992. She also won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics
of the same year, again in the Super-G: however, while racing the Giant Slalom, one day later, she destroyed her left knee.
In the following years she left the fast races (downhill and super-G), confirming herself as one of the best Giant Slalom specialists. Her fragile knees hindered Compagnoni's practice activity and limited the number of victories in the World Cup: however, she always presented in her best shapes for the great championships. In 1994, at the Lillehammer Olympics
, she won gold medal in the Giant Slalom, a feat she repeated four years later in Nagano
. In 1998 she won also a silver medal in the Slalom
, finishing second by only 0.06 seconds.
Compagnoni won the World Champion in Giant Slalom in 1996: in the following year edition she confirmed the title, coupling it with the Slalom one, a deed never accomplished by any Italian female skier. She won a total of 16 races in the Alpine Skiing World Cup
(14 Giant Slalom, 2 Super-G and 1 Slalom), plus a Giant Slalom World Cup in 1997.
Deborah Compagnoni is considered the best female skier ever of Italy, equal to famous male winners like Gustav Thöni
and Alberto Tomba
. The World Cup skiing track in her native Santa Caterina Valfurva has been named after her.
; they have three children: Agnese, Tobias, and Luce; they live in Ponzano Veneto
, Italy.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
who won three gold medals at the 1992
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, 1994
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
and 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
.
Career
Deborah Compagnoni was born in BormioBormio
Bormio is a town and comune located in the province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. It has a population of 4,200...
, northern Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
.
Compagnoni soon was noticed for her great talent. Her career was always marked by great successes, by also by great accidents. After her first great victory, the World Junior Title in Giant slalom, and her first podium in World Cup, she broke her right knee in the Val d'Isére downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
. After the surgery operation she decided to abandon the downhill races, where her talented could have permitted even greater successes than those she obtained in her yet victorious career.
Compagnoni won her first race in the World Cup in 1992. She also won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
of the same year, again in the Super-G: however, while racing the Giant Slalom, one day later, she destroyed her left knee.
In the following years she left the fast races (downhill and super-G), confirming herself as one of the best Giant Slalom specialists. Her fragile knees hindered Compagnoni's practice activity and limited the number of victories in the World Cup: however, she always presented in her best shapes for the great championships. In 1994, at the Lillehammer Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
, she won gold medal in the Giant Slalom, a feat she repeated four years later in Nagano
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
. In 1998 she won also a silver medal in the Slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
, finishing second by only 0.06 seconds.
Compagnoni won the World Champion in Giant Slalom in 1996: in the following year edition she confirmed the title, coupling it with the Slalom one, a deed never accomplished by any Italian female skier. She won a total of 16 races in the Alpine Skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
(14 Giant Slalom, 2 Super-G and 1 Slalom), plus a Giant Slalom World Cup in 1997.
Deborah Compagnoni is considered the best female skier ever of Italy, equal to famous male winners like Gustav Thöni
Gustav Thöni
Gustav Thöni is a former champion alpine ski racer from northern Italy.-Career:...
and Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba is an Italian retired alpine ski racer. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title...
. The World Cup skiing track in her native Santa Caterina Valfurva has been named after her.
Family
She is married to Alessandro BenettonAlessandro Benetton
Alessandro Benetton is Executive Deputy Chairman of Benetton Group SpA, member of the board of Edizione Srl, the holding of the Benetton family and Autogrill. He is also Chairman and founder of 21 Investimenti S.p.A, established in 1992 as a merchant bank.He graduated from Boston University, and...
; they have three children: Agnese, Tobias, and Luce; they live in Ponzano Veneto
Ponzano Veneto
Ponzano Veneto is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 30 km north of Venice and about 6 km northwest of Treviso....
, Italy.
Overall
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1997 1997 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 31st World Cup season began in October 1996 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 1997 at the World Cup finals in Vail, Colorado, U.S.A. The overall winners were Luc Alphand of France and Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden.... |
Giant Slalom |
Individual races
| Date | Location | Race |
|---|---|---|
| January 26, 1992 |  MorzineMorzine Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune... |
Super-G |
| March 7, 1993 | Morzine Morzine Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune... |
Super-G |
| December 5, 1993 | Tignes Tignes Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region... |
Giant Slalom |
| December 11, 1993 |  VeysonnazVeysonnaz Veysonnaz is a municipality in the district of Sion in the Swiss canton of Valais.-Geography:Veysonnaz has an area, , of . Of this area, or 29.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 44.5% is forested... |
Giant Slalom |
| January 5, 1994 | Morzine Morzine Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune... |
Giant Slalom |
| February 24, 1994 |  KvitfjellKvitfjell Kvitfjell is a ski resort in the municipality of Ringebu, Norway. Kvitfjell is one of the most modern resorts in the world, with 85% of the alpine skiing pistes covered in artificial snow. Based near the river Gudbrandsdalslågen, the resort offers 23 pistes: 5 green , 9 blue , 6 red , and 3 black... |
Giant Slalom |
| January 8, 1995 |  Haus im EnnstalHaus im Ennstal Haus im Ennstal is an Austrian village, located in the Liezen district of Styria. As of 2001 it has a population of 2,526 in an area of 8.177 km². The town is an important town on the Enns river.... |
Giant Slalom |
| March 2, 1996 | Narvik Narvik is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle... |
Giant Slalom |
| December 29, 1996 | Semmering Semmering For the town of the same name, see Semmering, Austria.Semmering is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connecting Lower Austria and Styria, between which it forms a natural border.-Location:... |
Slalom |
| January 17, 1997 |  ZwieselZwiesel Zwiesel is a town in the district of Regen, in Bavaria, Germany.-Geography:Zwiesel is situated in the Bavarian Forest, lying south of Bodenmais and to the northwest of Grafenau... |
Giant Slalom |
| January 18, 1997 | Zwiesel Zwiesel Zwiesel is a town in the district of Regen, in Bavaria, Germany.-Geography:Zwiesel is situated in the Bavarian Forest, lying south of Bodenmais and to the northwest of Grafenau... |
Giant Slalom |
| January 26, 1997 |  Cortina d'AmpezzoCortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene... |
Giant Slalom |
| March 15, 1997 |  VailVail, Colorado The Town of Vail is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort, with which it was originally conceived... |
Giant Slalom |
| October 25, 1997 | Tignes Tignes Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region... |
Giant Slalom |
| November 21, 1997 | Park City Park City, Utah Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census... |
Giant Slalom |
| December 19, 1997 | Val-d'Isère |
Giant Slalom |
| January 6, 1998 | Bormio Bormio Bormio is a town and comune located in the province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. It has a population of 4,200... |
Giant Slalom |
External links
- Ski-DB.com - Results - Deborah Compagnoni