Bernhard Russi

Bernhard Russi
 Alpine skier 

Russi in 1972
Disciplines Downhill, Giant Slalom
Club SC Gotthard Andermatt
Born (1948-08-20) 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 – (19701978)
  (includes two Olympics)
Medals 3 (2 gold)
World Cup
Seasons 9 – (19701978)
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)

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

SeasonDiscipline
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

Season Date Location Discipline Place
1970 15 Feb 1970 Italy Val Gardena, Italy(W.Ch.) ^Downhill 1st
1971 16 Jan 1971  Switzerland  St. Moritz, Switzerland Downhill 2nd
31 Jan 1971 France Megève, France Downhill 1st
13 Feb 1971 Canada Mt. Ste. Anne, Canada Giant Slalom 1st
18 Feb 1971 United States Sugarloaf, USA Downhill 1st
1972 5 Dec 1972  Switzerland  St. Moritz, Switzerland Downhill 1st
14 Jan 1972 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 3rd
Japan 1972 Winter Olympics
25 Feb 1972 United States Crystal Mtn, USA Downhill 1st
26 Feb 1972 Downhill 2nd
25 Mar 1972 Italy Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 1st
1973 7 Jan 1973 West Germany Garmisch, West Germany Downhill 3rd
13 Jan 1973  Switzerland  Grindelwald, Switzerland Downhill 1st
27 Jan 1973 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 2nd
3 Feb 1973 Austria St. Anton, Austria Downhill 1st
1974 22 Dec 1973 Austria Schladming, Austria Downhill 3rd
1975 26 Jan 1975 Austria Innsbruck, Austria Downhill 2nd
21 Mar 1975 Italy Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 3rd
1976 7 Dec 1975 France Val-d'Isère, France Downhill 3rd
9 Jan 1976  Switzerland  Wengen, Switzerland Downhill 3rd
17 Jan 1976 France Morzine, France Downhill 2nd
Austria 1976 Winter Olympics
1977 18 Dec 1976 Italy Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 3rd
15 Jan 1977 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 3rd
22 Jan 1977  Switzerland  Wengen, Switzerland Downhill 3rd
30 Jan 1977 France Morzine, France Downhill 1st
31 Jan 1977 Downhill 3rd
18 Feb 1977  Switzerland  Laax, Switzerland Downhill 3rd
12 Mar 1977 United States Heavenly Valley, USA Downhill 3rd
1978 22 Dec 1977 Italy 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

References

  1. Bernhard Russi. sports-reference.com
  2. bernhardrussi.ch (German) – career results – accessed 2011-01-01
  3. Ski-db.com – Bernard Russi – World Cup results – accessed 2010-03-06
  4. FIS-ski.com – Bernhard Russi – World Cup season rankings – accessed 2010-03-06
  5. SKI Magazine – Bernhard Russi: Olympic Downhill Designer – 2001-10-17 – accessed 2012-03-20
  6. fisalpine.com – Next up Sochi – Interview with Bernhard Russi – 2012-02-06 – accessed 2012-03-20
  7. Swiss Community.org – people – canton of Uri – accessed 2012-03-20

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Switzerland Philippe Clerc
Swiss Sportsman of the Year
1970
Succeeded by
Switzerland Meta Antenen
Preceded by
Switzerland Meta Antenen
Swiss Sportsman of the Year
1972
Succeeded by
Switzerland Werner Dössegger
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