Didier Défago
 Défago in 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 2 October 1977 Morgins, Valais, Switzerland | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Alpine skier | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Skiing career | |||||||||||||||
| Disciplines | Downhill, Super G giant slalom, combined | ||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 7 March 1996 (age 18) | ||||||||||||||
| Retired | 18 March 2015 (age 37) | ||||||||||||||
| Website | DidierDefago.ch | ||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 – (2002–2014) | ||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | 7 – (2001–09, '13–15) | ||||||||||||||
| Medals | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||
| Wins | 5 – (3 DH, 2 SG) | ||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 16 | ||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (6th in 2005, 2009) | ||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – (3rd in DH, SG; 2009) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Didier Défago (born 2 October 1977) is a Swiss retired World Cup alpine ski racer.
Born in Morgins, Valais, Défago made his World Cup debut at age 18 in March 1996, and was Swiss national champion in downhill (2003) and giant slalom (2004). At the 2010 Winter Olympics, he won the downhill at Whistler to become the Olympic champion.[1]
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Défago finished the 2005 World Cup season as sixth overall and fourth in the Super-G, his most successful season so far. In 2009 he won two downhill races in a row, the classics at Wengen and Kitzbühel.[2] He was the first to win these in consecutive weeks since Stephan Eberharter in 2002, and the first Swiss racer since Franz Heinzer in 1992.
While training on a glacier above Zermatt in mid-September 2010, Defago fell and injured ligaments in his left knee, ending his 2011 season.[3]
Défago announced his retirement in March 2015, after a second-place finish at the World Cup finals in the downhill in Méribel, France, and had his final World Cup race the next day in the super-G.[4]
World Cup results
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 18 | 126 | — | — | 38 | — | — |
| 1997 | 19 | injured | |||||
| 1998 | 20 | 138 | — | 54 | — | — | — |
| 1999 | 21 | 93 | — | — | 29 | — | — |
| 2000 | 22 | 27 | — | 15 | 16 | 39 | — |
| 2001 | 23 | 24 | — | 23 | 13 | 17 | — |
| 2002 | 24 | 14 | — | 13 | 7 | 34 | 7 |
| 2003 | 25 | 11 | 53 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 7 |
| 2004 | 26 | 32 | — | 31 | 26 | 21 | 13 |
| 2005 | 27 | 6 | — | 14 | 4 | 15 | 3 |
| 2006 | 28 | 15 | 52 | 21 | 22 | 9 | 9 |
| 2007 | 29 | 14 | 61 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 15 |
| 2008 | 30 | 9 | — | 18 | 4 | 9 | 21 |
| 2009 | 31 | 6 | — | 20 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| 2010 | 32 | 12 | — | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| 2011 | 33 | injured | |||||
| 2012 | 34 | 18 | — | 17 | 19 | 13 | 23 |
| 2013 | 35 | 30 | — | 19 | 26 | 29 | — |
| 2014 | 36 | 19 | — | 36 | 6 | 16 | — |
| 2015 | 37 | 18 | — | — | 7 | 13 | — |
Race podiums
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 03 Mar 2002 |  Kvitfjell, Norway |
Super-G | 2nd |
| 2003 | 20 Dec 2002 |  Val Gardena, Italy |
Super-G | 1st |
| 26 Jan 2003 |  Kitzbühel, Austria |
Combined | 3rd | |
| 2005 | 14 Jan 2005 |  Wengen, Switzerland |
Super combined | 3rd |
| 20 Feb 2005 |  Garmisch, Germany |
Super-G | 2nd | |
| 06 Mar 2005 | Kvitfjell, Norway |
Super-G | 2nd | |
| 2007 | 17 Dec 2006 | Alta Badia, Italy |
Giant slalom | 3rd |
| 2008 | 13 Mar 2008 | Bormio, Italy |
Super-G | 2nd |
| 2009 | 19 Dec 2008 | Val Gardena, Italy |
Super-G | 2nd |
| 17 Jan 2009 | Wengen, Switzerland |
Downhill | 1st | |
| 24 Jan 2009 | Kitzbühel, Austria |
Downhill | 1st | |
| 2010 | 04 Dec 2009 |  Beaver Creek, United States |
Super Combined | 2nd |
| 29 Dec 2009 | Bormio, Italy |
Downhill | 2nd | |
| 2012 | 29 Dec 2011 | Downhill | 1st | |
| 2014 | 26 Jan 2014 | Kitzbühel, Austria |
Super-G | 1st |
| 2015 | 18 Mar 2015 |  Méribel, France |
Downhill | 2nd |
World Championship results
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 23 | — | — | 11 | — | — |
| 2003 | 25 | — | 22 | 21 | — | 7 |
| 2005 | 27 | — | 12 | 7 | 6 | 14 |
| 2007 | 29 | — | 13 | 17 | 10 | 4 |
| 2009 | 31 | — | 20 | 8 | DNF | — |
| 2011 | 33 | injured | ||||
| 2013 | 35 | — | DNF2 | 26 | 8 | — |
| 2015 | 37 | — | — | 7 | 11 | — |
Olympic results 
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 24 | — | 14 | 6 | 21 | DNF2 |
| 2006 | 28 | — | 14 | 16 | 26 | DNF2 |
| 2010 | 32 | — | — | 15 | 1 | DNF2 |
| 2014 | 36 | — | DNF1 | DNF | 14 | — |
References
- ^ "Didier Défago takes downhill gold for Switzerland". The Guardian. Associated Press. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Defago wins World Cup downhill on Streif". USA Today. Associated Press. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ Ski Racing.com – 15 September 2010
- ^ [1] – 18 March 2015
External links
- Didier Défago at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Didier Défago World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
- Didier Défago at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- Didier Défago at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Official website (in French)
- YouTube video – Didier Défago – Wengen victory – 17 January 2009
- YouTube video – Didier Défago – Kitzbühel victory on full course – 24 January 2009
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