Roland Thöni (17 January 1951 – 4 April 2021) was an Italian

alpine ski racer Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing (cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

. A cousin of

Gustav Thöni Gustav Thöni (; sometimes listed as Gustavo Thoeni; born 28 February 1951) is an Italian retired alpine ski racer. Career Thöni was born in the German-speaking province of South Tyrol, in the hamlet of Trafoi of the Stilfs municipality, whic ...

, Roland competed on the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

circuit during the 1970s.

Biography

Roland Thöni was born in Trafoi, a ''frazione'' of

Stilfs Stilfs (; it, Stelvio ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located near the northern ramp of the Stelvio Pass. The municipality of Stilfs contains the ''frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly villages ...

(

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

). His World Cup debut on 7 February 1971 was a top ten finish; he took seventh place in the slalom at Mürren, Switzerland. His best year was 1972, which he opened with a bronze medal in the slalom at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous ci ...

, finishing behind his cousin Gustav and

Francisco Fernández Ochoa Francisco "Paquito" Fernández Ochoa (25 February 1950 – 6 November 2006) was a World Cup alpine ski racer from Spain. Born in Madrid and raised north of the city in Cercedilla, he was the eldest of eight children whose father ran a ski scho ...

, the gold medalist from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. In mid-March 1972, Thöni also obtained his only two World cup victories; he won the slaloms at Madonna di Campiglio and Pra-Loup on consecutive days. He did not reach the podium in the following World Cup seasons. His last international race was the downhill at the

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...

, won by Franz Klammer.

World cup

All top 10 results

Victories

References

External links