Didier Défago facts for kids
| Alpine skier | ||||||||||||||
Défago in 2014
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| Disciplines | Downhill, Super G giant slalom, combined | |||||||||||||
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| Born | 2 October 1977 Morgins, Valais, Switzerland |
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| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 7 March 1996 (age 18) | |||||||||||||
| Retired | 18 March 2015 (age 37) | |||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 – (2002–2014) | |||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) | |||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | 7 – (2001–09, '13–15) | |||||||||||||
| Medals | 0 | |||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||
| Wins | 5 – (3 DH, 2 SG) | |||||||||||||
| Podiums | 16 | |||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (6th in 2005, 2009) | |||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – (3rd in DH, SG; 2009) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Didier Défago (born 2 October 1977) is a famous retired alpine ski racer from Switzerland. He competed in the World Cup, which is the top competition for ski racers around the world.
Didier was born in Morgins, a town in Valais, Switzerland. He started his World Cup career when he was 18 years old, in March 1996. He quickly showed his talent, becoming the Swiss national champion in downhill skiing in 2003 and in giant slalom in 2004.
Didier had a very successful season in 2005, finishing sixth overall in the World Cup standings. He was especially strong in the Super-G event, where he placed fourth. In 2009, he achieved something amazing: he won two downhill races in a row! These were the famous races at Wengen and Kitzbühel. He was the first skier to win both of these challenging races in back-to-back weeks since 2002.
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Olympic Gold Medalist
Didier Défago's biggest achievement came at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. He won the gold medal in the men's downhill event at Whistler. This made him an Olympic champion!
Career Challenges and Retirement
After his Olympic win, Didier faced a challenge. In September 2010, he got injured while training on a glacier. He hurt his left knee, which meant he couldn't compete in the 2011 season.
Didier announced he would retire from ski racing in March 2015. His last World Cup race was in the Super-G event in Méribel, France. He ended his amazing career with a second-place finish in the downhill race there, showing he was still a top competitor right to the end.
World Cup Achievements
Didier Défago had a fantastic career in the World Cup. He won 5 races in total: 3 in downhill and 2 in Super-G. He also reached the podium (finished in the top three) 16 times across different events, including downhill, Super-G, combined, and giant slalom. His best overall World Cup finishes were 6th place in both 2005 and 2009. In 2009, he also finished 3rd in the downhill and Super-G standings for the season.
Olympic Results
Didier Défago competed in four Winter Olympic Games, representing Switzerland. His most memorable performance was his gold medal win in 2010.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 24 | — | 14 | 6 | 21 | DNF2 |
| 2006 | 28 | — | 14 | 16 | 26 | DNF2 |
| 2010 | 32 | — | — | 15 | 1 | DNF2 |
| 2014 | 36 | — | DNF1 | DNF | 14 | — |
