31 Facts About Jean-Claude Killy

Jean-Claude Killy was born on 30 August 1943 and is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer.

Jean-Claude Killy dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there.

Jean-Claude Killy won the first two World Cup titles, in 1967 and 1968.

Jean-Claude Killy's father, Robert, was a former Spitfire pilot for the Free French, and opened a ski shop in the Savoie village, and would later operate a hotel.

Jean-Claude Killy was sent to boarding school in Chambery, 80 miles down the valley, but he despised being shut up in a classroom.

Jean-Claude Killy's father allowed him to drop out at age 15, and he made the French national junior team a year later.

In December 1961, at age 18, Jean-Claude Killy won his first international race, a giant slalom.

Jean-Claude Killy had started 39th, a position that should have been a severe disadvantage.

Two years later, at age 20, Jean-Claude Killy was entered in all three of the men's events at the 1964 Olympics, because his coach wanted to prepare him for 1968.

Unfortunately, Jean-Claude Killy was plagued by recurrences of amoebic dysentery and hepatitis, ailments that he had contracted in 1962 during a summer of compulsory service with the French Army in Algeria.

Jean-Claude Killy's form was definitely off, and he fell a few yards after the start of the downhill, lost a binding in the slalom, and finished fifth in the giant slalom, in which he had been the heavy favorite.

Jean-Claude Killy was peaking as the first World Cup season was launched in January 1967, with the 1968 Winter Olympics in France only a year away.

Jean-Claude Killy was the first World Cup champion in 1967, winning 12 of 17 races to easily take the overall title.

Jean-Claude Killy won the season standings in each of the three "Classic" alpine disciplines; he won all five of the downhill races and four of the five giant slalom races.

Jean-Claude Killy relied on his upper-body strength to hit the bar while already moving forward, giving himself a slight edge.

Jean-Claude Killy retired following the 1968 season, and moved to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1969.

Jean-Claude Killy's all-conquering success, combined with his Gallic flair and looks, made him an overnight celebrity in the United States, especially amongst young women.

In May 1968, Jean-Claude Killy signed with International Management Group, the sports management firm headed by Mark McCormack.

Jean-Claude Killy became a spokesman for Schwinn bicycles, United Airlines, and Chevrolet automobiles; the last, a role detailed by journalist Hunter S Thompson in his 1970 article "The Temptations of Jean-Claude Killy" for Scanlan's Monthly.

Jean-Claude Killy starred as a ski instructor in the 1972 crime movie Snow Job, released in the UK as The Ski Raiders, and US TV as The Great Ski Caper.

Jean-Claude Killy had a short career as a racing driver between 1967 and 1970, participating in several car races including at Monza.

Jean-Claude Killy entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1969, partnered with Bob Wollek, another former skier turned racing driver.

In team with fellow Frenchman Bernard Cahier, Jean-Claude Killy was 7th overall in the 1967 Targa Florio in a Porsche 911 S and first in the GT classification.

In November 1972, Jean-Claude Killy came out of ski racing retirement at age 29 to compete on the pro circuit in the US for two seasons.

Jean-Claude Killy missed the next season, won by Hugo Nindl, due to a recurring stomach ailment, then returned in the fall of 1974.

One, The Jean-Claude Killy Style, was a thirteen-week series that showcased various ski resorts, and the other, The Jean-Claude Killy Challenge, featured him racing against celebrities, who were all given handicaps.

In 1975, Jean-Claude Killy was hired to lead the new ski operations at Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, a resort in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Jean-Claude Killy served as co-president of the 1992 Winter Olympics, held in Albertville, France, and as the President of the Societe du Tour de France cycling race between 1992 and 2001.

Jean-Claude Killy tried his hand at distance running and competed in the 1983 New York City Marathon, finishing in 3:58:33.

Jean-Claude Killy became Grand Officer of the Legion d'honneur in 2000.

Jean-Claude Killy is known for being friends with Russian President, Vladimir Putin.