Bernhard Russi
| — Alpine skier — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Russi in 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines | Downhill, Giant Slalom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | SC Gotthard Andermatt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
20 August 1948 Andermatt, Uri, Switzerland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 8 January 1968 (age 19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | March 1978 (age 29) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | bernhardrussi.ch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 – (1972, 1976) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (1 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams |
5 – (1970–1978) (includes two Olympics) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 9 – (1970–1978) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 10 – (9 DH, 1 GS) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 28 – (27 DH, 1 GS) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (5th in 1971, '72, '77) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 2 – (2 DH: 1971, 1972) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Bernhard Russi (born August 20, 1948) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. Born in Andermatt in the canton of Uri, he is an Olympic, World Cup, and World champion in the downhill event.[1]
Racing career
Russi made his World Cup debut at age 19 in January 1968 at a giant slalom in Adelboden. After two races in 1968 and six in 1969, he joined the World Cup circuit full-time in December 1969.[2] A month later, he recorded his first World Cup top ten finish in January 1970 at the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen. The next month he won his first event, the downhill at the 1970 World Championships, ahead of Karl Cordin of Austria and Australian Malcolm Milne. Two years later at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, he won the gold medal in the same discipline on Mt. Eniwa. Countryman Roland Collombin secured the silver and a Swiss "double victory." Russi won the World Cup season title in downhill in 1971 and 1972.
Four years later at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Russi nearly retained his Olympic title with a very fast time in the downhill at Patscherkofel, but took the silver medal. He finished 0.33 seconds behind Franz Klammer of Austria, who started 15th, the last of the top seeds. To date (2014) no men's Olympic champion in the downhill has successfully defended his title.
Russi retired from international competition following the 1978 season with 10 World Cup victories, 28 podiums, and 52 top ten finishes. In addition to his two downhill titles in 1971 and 1972, Russi was second in 1973 and third in 1976 and 1977. His best finish in the overall standings was fifth, achieved three times in 1971, 1972, and 1977[3][4]
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics also served as the world championships for alpine skiing. During the early seasons of the World Cup, the Olympics (1968) and world championships (1970) were included in the World Cup season standings; these major competitions were excluded beginning with the 1971 season.
After racing
Russi currently serves as the chairman of the FIS Alpine Committee and is a FIS technical advisor for downhill course design. Beginning with the 1988 Winter Olympics, Russi has been noted as the designer of the downhill courses for the Olympics. This stemmed from dissatisfaction with the courses at the 1980 and 1984 games; since Russi took over, there have been few complaints.[5][6] He also serves as a commentator for alpine ski racing on Swiss television.[7]
World Cup results
Season titles
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Downhill |
| 1972 | Downhill |
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 21 | 19 | — | — | not run | 5 | awarded only in 1976 |
| 1971 | 22 | 5 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 1972 | 23 | 5 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| 1973 | 24 | 6 | — | — | 2 | ||
| 1974 | 25 | 17 | — | — | 4 | ||
| 1975 | 26 | 11 | — | — | 4 | ||
| 1976 | 27 | 8 | — | — | 3 | — | |
| 1977 | 28 | 5 | — | — | 3 | ||
| 1978 | 29 | 28 | — | — | 12 |
Race podiums
- 10 wins – (9 DH, 1 GS)
- 28 podiums – (27 DH, 1 GS)
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 15 Feb 1970 |  Val Gardena, Italy – (W.Ch.) ^ | Downhill | 1st |
| 1971 | 16 Jan 1971 |  St. Moritz, Switzerland | Downhill | 2nd |
| 31 Jan 1971 |  Megève, France | Downhill | 1st | |
| 13 Feb 1971 |  Mt. Ste. Anne, Canada | Giant Slalom | 1st | |
| 18 Feb 1971 |  Sugarloaf, USA | Downhill | 1st | |
| 1972 | 5 Dec 1972 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Downhill | 1st |
| 14 Jan 1972 |  Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 3rd | |
 1972 Winter Olympics | ||||
| 25 Feb 1972 | Crystal Mtn, USA | Downhill | 1st | |
| 26 Feb 1972 | Downhill | 2nd | ||
| 25 Mar 1972 | Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill | 1st | |
| 1973 | 7 Jan 1973 |  Garmisch, West Germany | Downhill | 3rd |
| 13 Jan 1973 | Grindelwald, Switzerland | Downhill | 1st | |
| 27 Jan 1973 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 2nd | |
| 3 Feb 1973 | St. Anton, Austria | Downhill | 1st | |
| 1974 | 22 Dec 1973 | Schladming, Austria | Downhill | 3rd |
| 1975 | 26 Jan 1975 | Innsbruck, Austria | Downhill | 2nd |
| 21 Mar 1975 | Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 1976 | 7 Dec 1975 | Val-d'Isère, France | Downhill | 3rd |
| 9 Jan 1976 | Wengen, Switzerland | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 17 Jan 1976 | Morzine, France | Downhill | 2nd | |
| 1976 Winter Olympics | ||||
| 1977 | 18 Dec 1976 | Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill | 3rd |
| 15 Jan 1977 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 22 Jan 1977 | Wengen, Switzerland | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 30 Jan 1977 | Morzine, France | Downhill | 1st | |
| 31 Jan 1977 | Downhill | 3rd | ||
| 18 Feb 1977 | Laax, Switzerland | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 12 Mar 1977 | Heavenly Valley, USA | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 1978 | 22 Dec 1977 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | Downhill | 2nd |
^ Results from the 1970 World Championships (and 1968 Winter Olympics) were included in the World Cup standings.
World championship results
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 21 | — | — | not run | 1 | — |
| 1972 | 23 | — | — | 1 | — | |
| 1974 | 25 | — | — | 13 | — | |
| 1976 | 27 | — | — | 2 | — | |
| 1978 | 29 | — | — | 14 | — |
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
Olympic results 
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 23 | — | — | not run | 1 | not run |
| 1976 | 27 | — | — | 2 |
Video
- Video – 1972 Winter Olympics – men's downhill – gold & bronze medalists – from Japanese television – 1972-02-05 on YouTube
References
- ↑ Bernhard Russi. sports-reference.com
- ↑ bernhardrussi.ch (German) – career results – accessed 2011-01-01
- ↑ Ski-db.com – Bernard Russi – World Cup results – accessed 2010-03-06
- ↑ FIS-ski.com – Bernhard Russi – World Cup season rankings – accessed 2010-03-06
- ↑ SKI Magazine – Bernhard Russi: Olympic Downhill Designer – 2001-10-17 – accessed 2012-03-20
- ↑ fisalpine.com – Next up Sochi – Interview with Bernhard Russi – 2012-02-06 – accessed 2012-03-20
- ↑ Swiss Community.org – people – canton of Uri – accessed 2012-03-20
External links
- Bernhard Russi at the International Ski Federation
- Ski-db.com – results – Bernhard Russi
- Bernhard Russi at Sports Reference – Olympic results
- Official website – (German)
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| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Philippe Clerc |
Swiss Sportsman of the Year 1970 |
Succeeded by Meta Antenen |
| Preceded by Meta Antenen |
Swiss Sportsman of the Year 1972 |
Succeeded by Werner Dössegger |