Jean-Claude Killy

At his Olympic début in 1964, French skiier Jean-Claude Killy’s best finish was only 5th in the giant slalom. But four years later he became a skiing legend when he matched Toni Sailer’s 1956 record by winning Olympic gold in all three Alpine skiing events. Unlike Sailer, who won his events by substantial margins, all Killy’s victories were narrow ones and he only won the slalom after the controversial disqualification of the Austrian, Karl Schranz. Killy was also World Champion in the Alpine combination (1966, 1968) and downhill (1966) and was a convincing winner of the first two World Cup competitions (1967, 1968). Following his retirement at the end of the 1968 season he amassed a fortune from endorsements and he also became involved in motor racing, films, and professional ski racing. He was co-President of the Organizing Committee for the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville. He then became President of the Amaury Group, which controls the Tour de France, the Paris-Dakar auto rally, and L’Équipe, the French sporting daily newspaper. Killy is the only person to have won an Olympic gold medal and been awarded the Olympic Order in Gold. In addition, in 1995 Killy was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee, and has become a powerful member of the IOC.