Henri Oreiller
| — Alpine skier — | |
An illustration of Henri Oreiller, ca. 1948
|
|
| Disciplines |
Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Combined |
|---|---|
| Club | Val-d'Isère |
| Born |
5 December 1925 Paris, France |
| Died | 7 October 1962 (aged 36) Paris, France |
| Retired | 1952 (age 26) |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 2 – (1948, 1952) |
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 3 – (1948, 1950, 1952) includes Olympics |
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) |
|
Medal record
|
|
Henri Oreiller (5 December 1925 – 7 October 1962) was an alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from France. He won two gold medals and a bronze at the 1948 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete those Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Born in Paris, the son of Léon Oreiller, of Italian origin, and Marguerite Favre, from Savoie. His parents lived in Paris and frequented Val d'Isère for holidays. Oreiller was a member of Section Eclairuers Skieurs, a specialist skiing section of the French Resistance during World War II. After the liberation of Paris he fought in the Alps in an elite winter combat unit of the French Army.
Nicknamed the "Parisian of Val d'Isère" or the "madman of downhill", he was the first Olympic downhill champion in 1948 at St. Moritz, with a record margin of four seconds over the runner-up. He also took the gold medal in the combined event, and the bronze medal in the special slalom. He missed one of his medal ceremonies because he was playing accordion in a local bar, and received his medal a week later.
He competed in the 1950 World Championships at Aspen and finished fourth in the new event, the giant slalom. At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Oreiller was 14th in the downhill and 16th in the giant slalom.
...
Wikipedia