Vreni Schneider facts for kids
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| Disciplines | Technical Events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | SC Elm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 November 1964 (age 60) Elm, Switzerland |
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| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 5 (3 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 6 (3 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Verena "Vreni" Schneider (born November 26, 1964) is a famous retired ski racer from Switzerland. She is known as one of the best alpine skiers ever. Many people consider her the most successful ski racer from her home country. She was even voted "Swiss Sportswoman of the Century"!
Contents
Early Life and Challenges
Vreni was born in a small Swiss village called Elm. Her father was a shoemaker. When Vreni was a teenager, her mother sadly passed away from cancer. This was a very difficult time for Vreni. She decided to pause her ski career and leave school. She wanted to help take care of her family and their home.
Vreni's Amazing Ski Career
Vreni Schneider started her professional ski career in the World Cup when she was 20 years old. She quickly became a top athlete. She won the overall alpine skiing World Cup three times. This means she was the best skier across all events for those seasons. She also won eleven special World Cups in Slalom and Giant slalom. These are two technical ski events that require great skill.
Winning Many Races
Vreni won an incredible 55 World Cup races during her career! This makes her one of the top female ski racers of all time. Only a few others, like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, have won more.
Olympic and World Championship Medals
Vreni also shined at the biggest competitions:
- She won five medals at the Winter Olympics. Three of these were gold medals!
- At the Calgary Olympics in 1988, she won gold in both Slalom and Giant Slalom.
- At the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994, she won another gold in Slalom. She also earned a silver and a bronze medal there.
- She won six medals at the World Championships, including three more gold medals.
- She won Giant Slalom gold in Crans-Montana in 1987 and Vail in 1989.
- She won Slalom gold in Saalbach in 1991.
Setting Records
During the 1988–89 season, Vreni set an amazing record. She won 14 World Cup races in just one season! This record stood for many years until Mikaela Shiffrin broke it in the 2018–19 season.
Life After Skiing
In April 1995, after 11 very successful seasons, Vreni decided to retire from professional skiing. But she didn't leave the sport completely! Today, she runs her own ski and snowboard school in her hometown of Elm. She also has a sports equipment shop in Glarus.
World Cup Achievements
Vreni Schneider won many important titles in the World Cup. These are called "season titles" because they are for the best skier in a specific event over an entire season.
Season Titles Won
Vreni won a total of 14 season titles:
- 3 overall World Cup titles (meaning she was the best skier across all events).
- 6 Slalom titles.
- 5 Giant Slalom titles.
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Season |
| Discipline | |
| 1986 | Giant slalom |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Giant slalom |
| 1989 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| Giant slalom | |
| 1990 | Slalom |
| 1991 | Giant slalom |
| 1992 | Slalom |
| 1993 | Slalom |
| 1994 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| 1995 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| Giant slalom |
World Cup Season Standings
This table shows Vreni's ranking in different ski disciplines each season.
| Season | |||||||
| Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | |
| 1985 | 20 | 9 | 22 | 3 | — | — | 17 |
| 1986 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 14 | — | 5 |
| 1987 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 2 |
| 1988 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 22 | — | 5 |
| 1989 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 | — | 3 |
| 1990 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 25 | — | — |
| 1991 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 1992 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1993 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 5 |
| 1995 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 23 | 2 |
World Cup Race Victories
Vreni won a total of 55 World Cup races and reached the podium (finished in the top three) 101 times!
| Total | Slalom | Giant slalom | Downhill | Super-G | Combined | Parallel | |
| Wins | 55 | 34 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Podiums | 101 | 47 | 46 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
World Championship Results
Vreni also had great success at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
| Year | |||||||
| Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | Team Event | |
| 1985 | 20 | — | 12 | N/A | — | — | N/A |
| 1987 | 22 | — | 1 | 4 | — | 4 | N/A |
| 1989 | 24 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | N/A |
| 1991 | 26 | 1 | 7 | — | — | 3 | N/A |
Olympic Results
Vreni competed in three Winter Olympics and won five medals, including three gold!
| Year | |||||||
| Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | Team Event | |
| 1988 | 23 | 1 | 1 | — | — | DNF2 | N/A |
| 1992 | 27 | 7 | DNF1 | — | — | — | N/A |
| 1994 | 29 | 1 | 3 | — | 33 | 2 | N/A |
See also
In Spanish: Vreni Schneider para niños
