Alberto TOMBA

Most star athletes dream of finishing their career while on top. In the majority of the cases this very rarely happens. Alberto Tomba began to consider bringing an end to his ski racing career in the summer of 1996. The spring of that year he had achieved his last objective: a World Championship gold medal. In actual fact he won both the Slalom and Giant Slalom events but the temptation of competing the next winter in the FIS World Ski Championships on home territory in Sestrière was just too strong. That season was ruined because of injuries. In Sestrière, Alberto Tomba only managed a bronze medal and was totally dissatisfied.

The next goal was the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano the following winter. In Nagano he skied out both in slalom and giant slalom. Following those results he refused to talk to journalists. His nickname 'la Bomba' was now used to describe his round frame rather than his achievements on the hill.

Alberto Tomba made one final, seemingly desperate attempt in the FIS World Cup finals. He skied out in the giant slalom. The slalom competition was his very last chance to win back his reputation and he took good care to do it properly.

This was his 50th FIS World Cup victory and a worthy farewell for a winner.

It is easy to say that Alberto Tomba stood out from the crowds on the World Cup circus. For one, he did not stem from a village in the Alps with ski lifts on his doorstep. He was born into a rich textile family in Bologna. His father recognized his talent for skiing and allowed him to more or less grow up in the mountains.

Alberto Tomba was not as humble as many of his competitors, on the contrary. When he made his true breakthrough by winning the gold medals in Slalom and Giant Slalom in the Olympic Games in Calgary in 1988 he earnestly declared: "I am the new Messiahs of alpine skiing!"
With this cocky declaration, his charisma and smiles he became a favourite in his home territory.

When he returned to Italy after the Olympics he was given the kind of reception that is normally reserved for Italian football stars.

From then on successes and headlines would follow 'la Bomba' wherever he went. He won gold and silver medals in the Olympic Games in Albertville. By capturing the slalom silver at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer he wrote history, being the first male alpine racer to win medals in three consecutive Olympic Games. The following year he won the overall FIS World Cup.

Tomba had a playboy image, with constant rumours about beautiful women, late nights and expensive habits. Although he grew tired of all the paparazzi who would stake him out, the situation was often self-inflicted.

Before the Albertville Olympic Games he was quoted as saying: "I normally entertain three women until five o'clock in the morning, but I am beginning to feel old. Here in the Olympic Village I will instead entertain five women until 3 am."

A example of Italian machismo at its best!

In actual fact, people who were part of the World Cup circus during this period claim that this side of Alberto Tomba was just an image. Tomba used to say he thought training was boring and preferred partying but he was extremely serious about his training. Without hard training it would have been impossible to maintain the high and stable level of skiing he presented over so many years, even discounting his great talent and competitive attitude.

Although the media regularly grew tired of Alberto Tomba and often referring to him as a diva, the competitors did not notice this side of him. One of the few occasions when Alberto Tomba failed to rise to the challenge was during the FIS World Cup Finals in Åre in 1993. His competitor for the slalom cup was Thomas Fogdö. Alberto Tomba skied out and Thomas Fogdö won the competition and also thus the Cup. In the finish area, Alberto Tomba was the first to congratulated not only Thomas, but also us coaches.

In the Alps, Alberto Tomba is still regarded as the greatest sports personality after Ingemar Stenmark.

Gabriel Arthur