François Pierre Philippe Bonlieu (21 March 1937 – 18 August 1973) was a French alpine skier. Bonlieu debuted for the French alpine skiing national team when he was 15 years old. He was a four time French Champion (twice in the giant slalom, once in the slalom and Alpine Combined), and won the gold medal in the 1964 Olympics in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

, Austria in the Giant slalom. He was killed in a fight in 1973.

Early life

François Pierre Philippe Bonlieu was born at Juvincourt-et-Damary,

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374. Geography The department borders No ...

, on 21 March 1937. He experienced difficulty in childhood and was "virtually homeless". He never knew his father, and after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

his mother moved to Contamines in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. He became interested in skiing at a young age while living in the Alps, teaching himself. Jean Vuarnet and Francois Bonlieu in March 1960

Career

Bonlieu debuted for the French alpine skiing national team when he was 15 years old, after winning a youth cup. At the age of 17 he placed second in the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1954. This success caused him issues, however, as his early career success led to little success over the next decade. He did eventually win the Kandahar slalom in 1959. The next few years his career was inactive as he served in the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

, returning both physically and mentally ill. In 1964, he won the special slalom in Hindelang, beating out Billy Kidd and Bud Werner. He won the gold medal in the 1964 Olympics in

, Austria in the Giant slalom. Before his victory, he stated he was "sure he would win", and that "in eight days I will have erased 10 years of emptiness".

Personal life

He was known for his unusual and morose personality and remarks, and often conflicted with , the coach of the French team. He was known to disappear for days on end. He was small in stature and was known to have health difficulties. His sister Edith Bonlieu, also an alpine skier, was a member of the cult Order of the Solar Temple and died in a mass suicide in December 1995. Edith was married to fellow Olympic skiing gold medalist Jean Vuarnet; Bonlieu often lived with them.

Death

On 18 August 1973, Bonlieu died at the age of 36, following a brawl in Croisette in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

after an argument. His body had been discovered the night of the 16th in the basement of the port. Initially a surgery was planned in an attempt to save his life, but his injury was too severe. Initial police investigation was unable to determine if he had been attacked or fallen in a harbor, and an investigation was opened as a result. No one in Cannes knew him personally and no one knew how long he had been there.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonlieu, Francois 1937 births 1973 deaths Sportspeople from Aisne French male alpine skiers Olympic gold medalists for France Alpine skiers at the 1956 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics Olympic medalists in alpine skiing Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics Olympic alpine skiers for France 20th-century French sportsmen French murder victims People murdered in France