Marc Girardelli is among the best alpine skier ever not to become Olympic champion. He is a record five-time winner of the overall World Cup (1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993) and a fourfold World Champion (slalom 1991, combined 1987, 1989, 1996). A native Austrian, he started skiing for the Luxembourg federation after a dispute with the Austrian skiing federation. As he only obtained his citizenship in 1987, Girardelli could not start at the 1984 Olympics. His medal-less 1988 début did not go as expected, and even his two silver medals in Albertville were somewhat of a disappointment, having eyed at least one gold medal. His medals were Luxembourg’s first Olympic medals in 40 years. They were also the country’s first at the Winter Olympics.
Outside of the Olympics, Girardelli is one of the all time greats by all measures. He is the only skier to have won at least 3 World Cup races in each of the five disciplines (totalling 42), and he reached the podium 100 times. In addition to his five overall World Cups, Girardelli also won crystal globes for each of the five events - the first man to achieve this. Among men, only Kjetil André Aamodt has won more World Championship medals than Girardelli’s 11, won in four distinct events (all except the downhill). Having previously suffered a severe back injury in December 1989, Girardelli retired following a knee injury after his last World title in 1996. He then became an entrepeneur, being involved in a hotel, an indoor ski slope, a clothing line, and working as an advisor to skiing federations.
Luxembourg