Farewell to Jean Vuarnet, pioneer of modern downhill

And 'he died last night at the hospital in Sallanches where he was hospitalized due to a stroke Jean Vuarnet, one of the most important figures of the French and world alpine skiing.

Monday 2 January 2017 4 minutes reading time

Born January 18, 1933 in Le Bardo, a town west of Tunis where the doctor father had temporarily transferred but grew up and lived in Morzine since dall''etÃ of 18 months, he won his first major laurels at the World Championships, winning the Badgastein bronze downhill. Two years later, February 22, 1960 he obtained the greatest achievement of his career by winning the gold in the Olympic Downhill at Squaw Valley the only race in five circles which he played. His triumph, in addition to its undisputed qualities, it is about the location in Egg, which picks up Zeno Colo improving it further, and metal skis targati Rossignol: It was the first Olympic champion to use materials of this type. After the Vuarnet Olympics withdraws dall''agonismo and is dedicated to business: take its name from the well-known sunglasses and then clothes, then build from nothing above Morzine in the mid-sixties, the well-known ski resort of Avoriaz. Vuarnet also has the distinction of being the protagonist of the first period of 'gold of our alpine skiing: appointed technical director of the Italian team in 1968, he will be the promoter of the "Pool Sci Italy", which will include the suppliers of our athletes, and it will be he who, together with his successor Mario Cotelli, will shape many of the components of what, after his dell''incarico abandonment in 1972, will be dubbed "blue avalanche." After the experience in FISI he was appointed vice president of the French Federation experiencing first purges of many champions and champions that from December 1972 to at least 15 years caused a terrible crisis of the trans-Alpine ski mostly male. His life will be marked by un''immane tragedy in December 1995, when his wife Edith Bonlieu, which had been too high-level skier, and son Patrick, who were part dell''ordine of the Solar Temple, will die in suicide Vercors along with other members of the sect. The 'world of alpine skiing cries the one who was probably the pioneer par excellence of the descent of the day.

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