Jean Vuarnet

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Jean Vuarnet (born January 18, 1933 in Le Bardo , Tunis ; † January 2, 2017 in Sallanches ) was a French ski racer .

Vuarnet celebrated the greatest success of his career as an athlete at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley when he became Olympic champion in the downhill . He used metal skis for the first time in this victory and he is considered to be the inventor of the "egg-squat" (in French: dite de l'œuf ), which he used in this victory. He had previously won the bronze medal in the downhill at the 1958 Alpine World Ski Championships in Bad Gastein . From 1957 to 1959 Vuarnet was French champion seven times - twice each in downhill, slalom and combined and once inGiant slalom .

After his active career, Vuarnet was head of the Italian alpine ski team from 1968 to 1972. He celebrated great success with the young team around Gustav Thöni and Piero Gros . From 1972 to 1974 he was Vice President of the French Ski Federation (FFS). He later started a successful sportswear company. In 1961, Jean Vuarnet signed an agreement with the French optician and eyewear manufacturer Roger Pouilloux to market a collection of sunglasses under the brand name of his last name: Vuarnet. In the 1980s, Vuarnet sunglasses were the main competitor to Ray-Ban in the US market. In particular, the Vuarnet model Cat-Eye and the Ray-Ban model Wayfarer faced each other as competitors. Not least, this success was also sponsoring the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles due to where the slogan of the weather forecast always said: "It's a Vuarnet day today!" This is still the slogan of the firm since 2011, to Alain- Mikli group belongs.

Vuarnet was married to the (former) skier Edith Bonlieu , the sister of the later giant slalom Olympic champion François Bonlieu , with whom he had three children. His wife and son Patrick were killed in a massacre by the Sun Templar sect in December 1995 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gilles Festor: Décès de l'ancien champion olympique de ski Jean Vuarnet . lefigaro.fr , January 2, 2017, accessed January 3, 2017 (French).
  2. ^ Ski: mort de Jean Vuarnet, inventeur de la “position de l'oeuf”
  3. ^ Downhill Olympic champion Jean Vuarnet has died
  4. ^ Downhill Olympic champion Jean Vuarnet has died
personal data
SURNAME Vuarnet, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French ski racer
DATE OF BIRTH January 18, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Le Bardo , Tunis
DATE OF DEATH 2nd January 2017
Place of death Sallanches