Jean-Claude Killy facts for kids
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Jean-Claude Killy in Moscow in May 2012
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| Disciplines | Downhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 30 August 1943 Saint-Cloud, Seine-et-Oise, France |
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| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | January 1967 (age 23) inaugural season |
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| Retired | April 1968 (age 24) (World Cup) - November 1972 (age 29) Again from 1976 (World Pro Ski Tour) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 – (1964, 1968) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (3 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 – (1962, 1964, 1966, 1968) includes two Olympics (injured in 1962) |
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| Medals | 6 (6 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 2 – (1967, 1968) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 18 – (6 DH, 7 GS, 5 SL) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 24 – (8 DH, 9 GS, 7 SL) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 2 – (1967, '68) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 4 – (1 DH, 2 GS, 1 SL) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Jean-Claude Killy (born August 30, 1943) is a famous French former alpine ski racer. He was one of the best skiers in the late 1960s. He won three gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics. This made him the most successful athlete at those Games. He also won the first two World Cup titles in 1967 and 1968.
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Jean-Claude Killy's Early Life
Jean-Claude Killy was born in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, in 1943. This was during World War II. His family moved to Val-d'Isère in the Alps in 1945. His father, Robert, was a former pilot. He opened a ski shop in the village. Later, he ran a hotel.
In 1950, his mother left the family. Robert then raised Jean-Claude, who was 7, and his two siblings. Jean-Claude was sent to a boarding school. But he really disliked being in a classroom.
Becoming a Ski Champion
Jean-Claude loved skiing more than school. His father let him leave school at age 15. A year later, he joined the French national junior team. When he was young, Killy was very fast. But he often didn't finish his races. The early 1960s were a bit tough for him.
First Big Win
In December 1961, at 18, Killy won his first international race. It was a giant slalom in his home village of Val-d'Isère. He started in 39th place. This was a big disadvantage, but he still won!
Injuries and Setbacks
The French coach chose Killy for the 1962 World Championships. But Killy broke his leg while training. He had to watch the championships on crutches.
Two years later, at the 1964 Winter Olympics, Killy was 20. He was supposed to do well. But he was sick from an illness he got during military service. He fell in the downhill race. He lost a ski binding in the slalom. He finished fifth in the giant slalom. Still, he won a big race in Germany a few weeks later. He also won the Hahnenkamm slalom in Austria three times.
Rising to the Top
Killy started to get much better. In August 1966, he won his first downhill race. This was at the 1966 World Championships in Chile. He also won the combined event there. Killy was becoming a top skier. The first World Cup season began in January 1967. The 1968 Winter Olympics in France were only a year away.
Dominance in 1967 and 1968
Killy was the first ever World Cup champion in 1967. He won 12 out of 17 races. He easily won the overall title. He also won the titles for downhill, giant slalom, and slalom. He won all five downhill races that season!
The next year, Killy made history at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. He won all three Olympic gold medals in alpine skiing. He won the downhill, giant slalom, and slalom events. This is called the "triple crown" of alpine skiing. By winning all these races, he also became the World Champion in the combined event.
His amazing starts helped him win. He used his upper body strength to push off the starting gate. This gave him a tiny advantage. He beat his teammate Guy Perillat by a very small amount in the Olympic downhill.
The 1968 Olympic results were included in the World Cup standings. Killy easily won his second World Cup overall title. He then retired from ski racing after the 1968 season. He moved to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1969.
Life After Skiing
Jean-Claude Killy became a big celebrity after the 1968 Olympics. The Games were shown on TV in color for the first time. His success and good looks made him famous.
Endorsements and Acting
In 1968, Killy signed with a sports management company. He endorsed a new ski named after him, the Killy 800. He also appeared in many TV commercials. He promoted American Express cards, Schwinn bicycles, and Chevrolet cars.
Killy also tried acting. He played a ski instructor in the 1972 movie Snow Job. He also appeared in the 1983 movie Copper Mountain with Jim Carrey. He even performed ski tricks in a TV movie with ice skater Peggy Fleming.
Other Sports and Ventures
Killy also had a short career as a racing driver. He raced between 1967 and 1970. He even entered the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1969. He led his class for a while before his car had to stop.
In 1972, Killy came out of retirement to race professionally in the U.S. for two seasons. He won the 1973 season title. He later faced injuries, which slowed him down.
He also made two TV series. One showed different ski resorts. The other, The Killy Challenge, featured him racing against celebrities. He was also sponsored by a champagne company. In 1974, he skied down an unskied slope of Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand. He reached speeds over 100 mph!
Leadership Roles
From 1977 to 1994, Killy was on the board of the FIS. He was also a co-president for the 1992 Winter Olympics in France. He led the Tour de France cycling race from 1992 to 2001. From 1995 to 2014, he was a member of the International Olympic Committee. He helped organize the 2006 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Killy even ran in the 1983 New York City Marathon. He finished the race in under four hours.
The ski area of Val-d'Isère and Tignes in the French Alps is named Espace Killy in his honor. He was given a high French honor, the Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, in 2000.
Personal Life
From 1973 to 1987, Jean-Claude Killy was married to French actress Danielle Gaubert. She sadly passed away from cancer. They had a daughter named Émilie. He also adopted Danielle's two children from her first marriage. Killy is known to be friends with Russian President, Vladimir Putin. The famous singer Elvis Presley once said Jean-Claude Killy was his favorite skier.
