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Alberto TombaItalian skier
Date of Birth: 19.12.1966
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba, the Italian Alpine ski racer, was known as a virtuoso in slalom and giant slalom in the late 1980s and 1990s. He won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup titles - four in giant slalom, four in slalom, and one overall. He was nicknamed 'Tomba la Bomba' by the public. Alberto Tomba was born on December 19, 1966, in Bologna, Italy. He grew up in the village of Castel de Britti, San Lazzaro di Savena, where skiing was not widely practiced. As a child, he tried various sports including tennis, football, and off-road motorcycle racing. However, Tomba soon realized that his true passion was skiing.
Early Career
In 1981, Tomba participated in the Junior World Championships and finished in 4th place, earning him a spot on the national team (Team B). That same year, Alberto surprised everyone with his victory in the parallel slalom in San Siro, Milan, defeating all the members of Team A. After three wins in the European Cup, 19-year-old Tomba made his debut in the World Championships in December 1985 in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. In December 1986, he secured his first podium finish, winning bronze in giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy. He later won his first World Cup race (slalom) on November 27, 1987, in Sestriere, Italy. Two days later, he won the giant slalom, surpassing his idol Ingemar Stenmark, a prominent ski racer. It became clear that Tomba was a strong competitor who couldn't be ignored in the skiing world. He won the World Cup in slalom and giant slalom but finished second overall, behind Swiss skier Pirmin Zurbriggen. Tomba also competed in super-G at the beginning of his career but never achieved a higher ranking than fourth place in that discipline.
Olympic Success
At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Tomba finished first in both slalom and giant slalom, representing Italy. In the first run of the giant slalom, he outperformed his closest competitor by a huge margin of 1.14 seconds. However, in the following two seasons, Tomba was not as successful, winning only a total of four races in the World Championships. At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, Alberto won the gold medal in giant slalom at the Val d'Isère resort and the silver medal in slalom. He became the first Olympic ski champion to beat Marc Girardelli in the giant slalom event.
Later Career and Retirement
In 1993, Tomba struggled with illness during the giant slalom at the World Championships in Morioka, Japan, and made a significant mistake in the slalom, resulting in no podium finishes. He managed to win only one race in the World Cup throughout the entire 1993 season. The following year, Tomba returned with renewed vigor to the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. After the first run in slalom, he surpassed the leader Thomas Stangassinger by 1.84 seconds but ended up in second place after Stangassinger's comeback in the next round.
During the 1995 World Cup season, from December 1994 to March 1995, Tomba achieved 11 victories, including seven consecutive wins in slalom, and became the overall champion. He brought the Crystal Globe back to Italy after 20 years, following Gustav Thöni's championship win in 1975. In 1996, Alberto added two gold medals to his collection at the World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
After a disqualification in the giant slalom and an unsuccessful start in the slalom at the 1997 World Championships, Tomba decided to cancel his plans of retiring and continued for another season. However, at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, he failed to win a medal in the giant slalom, marking the first time in his Olympic career.
Alberto Tomba retired in 1998 with an impressive record of 50 World Cup victories, including 35 in slalom and 15 in giant slalom. In March 2000, he was awarded the Olympic Order for his outstanding sports career and contribution to the development of the sport. Tomba had the honor of delivering the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where he handed it over to the gold medal-winning cross-country skiing team from the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.
