Rise to fame as Olympic champion
On November 27, 1987, Tomba scored his first World Cup victory, in a slalom at Sestriere, Italy. Two days later he won the giant slalom, beating his idol, Ingemar Stenmark. It was now clear that Tomba was a force to be reckoned with in the alpine skiing world.
He went on to win nine races that season, winning the World Cup titles in both slalom and giant slalom, but he finished second to Swiss legend Pirmin Zurbriggen in the overall standings. During this early part of his career, Tomba also competed in super G, an event he would continue to run until 1989 despite never finishing better than fourth.
At the 1988 Winter Olympics, Tomba won gold medals in both slalom and giant slalom. In the first run of the giant, he finished impressive 1.14 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. He also earned some notoriety by asking out East German figure skater Katarina Witt who he met again later on.
Tomba was not as successful in the following two seasons, winning a total of
More about Alberto Tomba (From Wikipedia)
Early Years
Tomba was born in Castel de Britti, San Lazzaro di Savena, between Ozzano dell'Emilia and Bologna — an area without strong alpine traditions, but not far from the appenninic read more...
Rise To Fame As Olympic Champion
On November 27, 1987, Tomba scored his first World Cup victory, in a slalom at Sestriere, Italy. Two days later he won the giant slalom, beating his idol, Ingemar Stenmark. It was read more...
Overall World Cup Champion
Tomba was back to his usual ways at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. After the first run of the slalom, he was seemingly out of medal contention, 1.84 seconds behind read more...
Alberto Tomba (born December 19, 1966), popularly called "Tomba la Bomba" ("Tomba the Bomb"), is a retired Italian alpine skier. He scored notable success in the late 1980s and 1990s read more...