Didier Défago

Didier Défago
	Défago in 2014
Personal information
Born	2 October 1977 (age 47); 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
Men's alpine skiing
Representing Switzerland
Olympic Games

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]

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

5 wins – (3 DH, 2 SG)
16 podiums – (5 DH, 7 SG, 3 AC, 1 GS)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Place
2002	03 Mar 2002	Kvitfjell, Norway	Super-G	2nd
2003	20 Dec 2002	Val Gardena, Italy	Super-G	1st
2003	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
2010	29 Dec 2009	Bormio, Italy	Downhill	2nd
2012	29 Dec 2011	Bormio, Italy	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

[1] "Didier Défago takes downhill gold for Switzerland". The Guardian. Associated Press. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2020.

[2] "Defago wins World Cup downhill on Streif". USA Today. Associated Press. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.

[3] Ski Racing.com – 15 September 2010

[4] [1] – 18 March 2015

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