Gianni Bonichon competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics at Sapporo, winning silver in the four-man with pilot Nevio De Zordo behind the victorious Swiss bobsleigh. He participated in three World Championships (1970, 1973 and 1974), placing fourth in four-man at Lake Placid in 1973. From 1970-76, he had three second and third places each in the Italian Championships. Bonichon worked as a merchant in the small town of Fénis. In 1982 he was involved in the kidnapping of industrialist Giuseppe Pasini from Milano and later convicted, on appeal, to a term of 12 years. Less than a year before his death he fell victim to an armed robbery in his home. He died in the hospital in Aosta after being hospitalized for a few weeks for various diseases.