Cristina Gravina

At the age of 20, Alpine skier Cristina Gravina was the only Italian to participate in the woman’s downhill at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. She finished in a creditable 15th place. In the World Cup, Gravina achieved two top ten placings, with a fourth in the Piancavallo downhill on 9 December 1978 being her best finish. That year she was 37th overall in the standings.

Gravina married Francesco Tricomi, a former pilot in the “Freccie Tricolori” (Italian Air Force) and later with the Italian national airline. Their daughter Arianna was also a top sportswoman, specialising in freeride (an event not affiliated to the IOC). She was the winner of 2018 Freeride World Tour.