Chiharu Igaya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chiharu Igaya

Alpine skier
Igaya in 1956
Disciplines	Slalom, giant slalom, Downhill, combined
Club	Dartmouth College
Born	(1931-05-20) May 20, 1931 (age 94) Tomari, Kunashiri (ja), Hokkaidō, Japan
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Olympics
Teams	3 – (1952, 1956, 1960)
Medals	1 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams	4 – (1952, 1956, 1958, 1960)          includes Olympics
Medals	2 (0 gold)
Medal record Men's alpine skiing Representing  Japan Olympic Games Silver 1956 Cortina Slalom World Championships Bronze 1958 Bad Gastein Slalom

1956 Olympic slalom medalists: Stig Sollander, Toni Sailer (gold), and Igaya

Igaya training on the roof of his house in 1951

Chiharu Igaya (born May 20, 1931) is a famous former alpine ski racer from Japan. He is known for winning a silver medal at the Olympics. He competed in three Winter Olympics during his career.

Igaya's Ski Racing Career

Chiharu Igaya was born in Hokkaidō, Japan. He later went to college in the United States at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. There, he raced for the college team, known as the Dartmouth Big Green. He graduated in 1957. People often called him "Chick."

Early Wins and College Success

In 1954, Igaya won the U.S. national title in slalom in Aspen, Colorado. He also won the NCAA title in slalom three times in a row. His last NCAA slalom win was in 1957. Overall, he won six individual NCAA titles during his college years.

Olympic Achievements

Igaya competed in the Winter Olympics three times.

• At the 1952 Olympics, he finished 11th in slalom, 20th in giant slalom, and 24th in downhill.
• Four years later, at the 1956 Winter Olympics, he achieved something amazing. He won the silver medal in the slalom event! This made him the first person from Japan and the first person from Asia to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. He is still the only Japanese person to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing. In the same Olympics, he was 11th in giant slalom but did not finish the downhill race. All three of these events were won by Toni Sailer from Austria.
• At the 1960 Games, Igaya finished 12th in slalom, 23rd in giant slalom, and 34th in downhill.

Igaya also won a bronze medal in slalom at the World Championships in 1958. He also placed fourth in the combined event at those championships.

Life After Racing

After finishing college and his ski racing career, Chiharu Igaya worked in the insurance business. He eventually became the president of the Japanese branch of AIU Insurance Company.

Besides his work, he was also very involved in sports administration. He was a member of the FIS alpine skiing committee. He also served as the vice-president of the International Triathlon Union. From 1982 to 2012, he was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He even became the vice-president of the IOC in 2005. In 2012, he became an honorary member.

In 2018, Igaya was honored by the World Olympians Association. He was included in their "Olympians for Life" project. This project recognizes athletes who have given back to sports.

World Championship Results

From 1948 to 1980, the Winter Olympics were also counted as the World Championships for alpine skiing. The "combined" event used results from the other three races (downhill, giant slalom, and slalom).

Olympic Results

NCAA Titles Won

Chiharu Igaya won several titles while competing in college:

• Slalom: 1955, 1956, 1957
• Alpine Combined: 1955, 1956
• Downhill: 1955