Bernhard Russi
| — Alpine skier — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Russi in 1972
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| Disciplines | Downhill, Giant Slalom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | SC Gotthard Andermatt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
20 August 1948 Andermatt, Uri, Switzerland |
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| 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) |
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| 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Bernhard Russi (born 20 August 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.
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. But he (being an unknown ski racer at that time) also was a stuntman in principal filming for »On Her Majesty’s Secret Service« which were made in the Switzerland but he became injured with a fracture of one cervical vertebra. After an injury lay-off he was able (for the first time after a long while) to compete in the Downhill Race at Val d'Isère on December 14th, 1969, becoming 14th, and he could gain World Cup Points at first by recording his first World Cup top ten finish (tenth in the Downhill on January 10th at the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen). But not before achieving a fourth place in the Downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen (on February 1st) he was qualified as a Swiss Team Racer at the 1970 World Championships, and won his first event, the downhill at the ahead of Karl Cordin of Austria and Australian Malcolm Milne. It was a race with fresh snow, he was the 15th racer - a good number for such conditions. He did win with a hand fracture which he did suffer a week before in a practice race, therefore he did race that actual run with pain. But to be able to win there was another method necessary: His coach (Mr. Paul Berlinger) did scrap off skiwax directly before the start, Russi did race without skiwax. Because the result of the World Championships 1970 (here) at Val Gardena did count as a World Cup race too, his win also was a World Cup Race victory. 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. Anew, he was awarded as "Swiss sportsman of the Year", also he was awarded with the "Skieur d’Or" ("Best World Ski Racer of the Year") und the "Étoile d’Or" ("The Star in Gold").
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