Alex Vinatzer comes from Selva in Val Gardena . He attended the Stams ski school and started for the Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Gialle . At the age of 16 he contested his first FIS races in the USA . In January 2017 he made his debut in the European Cup and a few weeks later took part in the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Erzurum . In both giant slalom and slalom he won the gold medal - in slalom he distanced the competition by 3.42 seconds. At the end of the season he competed in four races at the Junior World Championships in Åre and barely missed a medal as fourth in slalom.
On November 12, 2017, he made his World Cup debut in the Levi slalom . Two and a half months later, the 18-year-old was surprisingly included in the Italian line-up for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang . At the Junior World Championships in Davos, he justified his nomination by winning the silver medal in the slalom despite being 2.77 seconds behind winner Clément Noël . At the games in South Korea , Vinatzer was eliminated in the first round of the slalom. He was also used in the team competition and was the only Italian to win his quarter-final against reigning world champion Alexis Pinturault , which meant fifth place in the end.
Vinatzer received media attention at the World Cup slalom in Schladming on January 28, 2020, when the time measurement of his run was falsified shortly before he crossed the finish line by the erotic actress Kinsey Wolanski , who crossed the finish line scantily clad. Vinatzer did not notice this immediately, imagined himself to be the new leader for a few seconds and cheered in the finish area. A short time later the timing was corrected. After the race, he gave a humorous comment on the event.
Italy
