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 on August 30, 1943, is a famous French former alpine ski racer. He was incredibly good at skiing in the late 1960s. He won three gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics, making him the most successful athlete there. He also won the first two World Cup skiing titles in 1997 and 1968.
Contents
Early Life and Skiing Start
Killy was born in Saint-Cloud, a town near Paris, during World War II. His family moved to Val-d'Isère in the Alps in 1945. His father, Robert, opened a ski shop there. Jean-Claude loved skiing more than school. He left school at age 15 and joined the French national junior ski team a year later.
First Wins and Challenges
In December 1961, when he was 18, Killy won his first big international race. It was a giant slalom event in his home village of Val-d'Isère. He started in 39th place, which was a big disadvantage, but he still won!
Killy was chosen for the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix, France. However, he broke his leg while trying to qualify for another race. He had to watch the championships on crutches.
Two years later, at the 1964 Winter Olympics, Killy faced more challenges. He was sick with dysentery and hepatitis. He fell in the downhill race and lost a ski binding in the slalom. He finished fifth in the giant slalom, even though he was expected to win. Despite this, he won a giant slalom race in Germany a few weeks later. He also won the slalom race at the Hahnenkamm races in Austria three times in a row until 1967.
Becoming a World Champion
Killy started to get much better at skiing. In August 1966, he won his first downhill race at the 1966 World Championships in Portillo, Chile. He also won the combined event there. This was just before the first ever World Cup season began in January 1967. The 1968 Winter Olympics in France were only a year away.
Dominating the Ski World (1967–1968)
Killy was the first ever World Cup champion in 1967. He won 12 out of 17 races, easily taking the overall title. He also won the season titles in all three main alpine skiing events: downhill, giant slalom, and slalom. He won all five downhill races and four out of five giant slalom races.
Olympic Glory in 1968
The next year, Killy achieved the "triple crown" of alpine skiing. He won all three Olympic gold medals in downhill, giant slalom, and slalom at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. By winning all these races, he also became the world champion in the combined event.
The timing system at the Olympics was very precise. Killy used his upper body strength to push off the starting gate. This helped him beat his teammate Guy Perillat by a tiny fraction of a second in the Olympic downhill.
The Olympic results were included in the World Cup standings that year. Killy easily won his second World Cup overall title in 1968. He finished first in the giant slalom standings and second in both downhill and slalom. He retired from World Cup racing after the 1968 season.
Life After the Olympics
Killy's success at the 1968 Olympics made him a huge star. The Olympics were shown widely on TV for the first time, especially in color. His amazing wins and good looks made him famous, especially in the United States.
New Adventures and Endorsements
After retiring from competitive skiing, Killy signed with a sports management company. He endorsed a new ski named after him, the Killy 800. He also appeared in TV commercials for American Express cards, Schwinn bicycles, United Airlines, and Chevrolet cars.
Killy even tried acting! He played a ski instructor in the 1972 movie Snow Job. He also appeared in the 1983 movie Copper Mountain: A Club Med Experience with Jim Carrey. In 1971, he performed amazing ski tricks with ice skating champion Peggy Fleming in a TV movie.
Car Racing and Pro Ski Tour
Jean-Claude Killy also had a short career as a racing driver. He raced between 1967 and 1970. In 1969, he competed in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. His car even led its class for a while! In 1967, he finished 7th in the Targa Florio race in a Porsche 911.
In November 1972, Killy came out of retirement at age 29 to race on the professional ski circuit in the U.S. He won the 1973 season title. He missed the next season due to a stomach problem but returned in 1974.
Other Activities and Honors
Killy made two TV series. One, The Killy Style, 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 the eastern slope of Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand, reaching speeds over 100 mph!
From 1977 to 1994, Killy was part of the Alpine Skiing Committee for the FIS. He was also a co-president for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, 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 Turin and 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.
Killy even ran a marathon! He finished the 1983 New York City Marathon in under four hours. The ski area of Val-d'Isère and Tignes in the French Alps is named l'Espace Killy in his honor. In 2000, he received a high honor in France called the Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur.
Personal Life
From 1973 to 1987, Jean-Claude Killy was married to French actress Danielle Gaubert. 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. Elvis Presley once said Jean-Claude Killy was his favorite skier.
Images for kids
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Jean-Claude Killy in Moscow in May 2012
See also
In Spanish: Jean-Claude Killy para niños
