
Alberto Tomba : biography
Alberto Tomba (born 19 December 1966) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Italy. He was the dominant technical skier (slalom and giant slalom) in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title. He was popularly called Tomba la Bomba ("Tomba the Bomb").
Early years
Alberto Tomba was born in Bologna and raised in Castel de Britti, a village in the municipality of San Lazzaro di Savena, — an area without strong alpine traditions, but not far from the appenninic piste of Monte Cimone and Corno alle Scale. As a child, he participated in sports like tennis, soccer, and dirt biking, but he found that his greatest passion was for skiing.
In 1984 he took part in the Junior World Championships, where a fourth-place finish won him a position on the national B team. That year, in a parallel slalom exhibition in San Siro, Milan, he surprised everyone by beating every member of the A team. After three wins on the Europa Cup circuit, Tomba made his World Cup debut in December 1985 at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, three days before his nineteenth birthday. Two months later, in Åre, Sweden, he surprised the skiing world by finishing sixth from the 62nd starting position. His first podium came the following season in Alta Badia, Italy in December 1986, and later that winter he won bronze in the giant slalom at the 1987 World Championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
World Cup results
Season standings
Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | GiantSlalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | 19 | 51 | 39 | 23 | 19 | — | — |
1987 | 20 | 15 | 24 | 9 | 18 | — | — |
1988 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — |
1989 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | — | — |
1990 | 23 | 9 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — |
1991 | 24 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — |
1992 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 43 | — | — |
1993 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
1994 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 11 | — | — | — |
1995 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
1996 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — |
1997 | 30 | 25 | 5 | — | — | — | — |
1998 | 31 | 14 | 7 | 13 | — | — | — |
Season titles
- 9 titles – (1 overall, 4 giant slalom, 4 slalom)
Season | Discipline |
---|---|
1988 | Giant Slalom |
Slalom | |
1991 | Giant Slalom |
1992 | Giant Slalom |
Slalom | |
1994 | Slalom |
1995 | Overall |
Giant Slalom | |
Slalom |
Race victories
- 50 wins – (15 GS, 35 SL)
- 88 podiums – (31 GS, 57 SL)
Season | Date | Location | Race |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | 27 November 1987 | Sestriere, Italy | Slalom |
29 November 1987 | Giant Slalom | ||
13 December 1987 | ITA}} Alta Badia, Italy | Giant Slalom | |
16 December 1987 | ITA}} Madonna di Campiglio, Italy | Slalom | |
20 December 1987 | YUG}} Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Slalom | |
17 January 1988 | AUT}} Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria | Slalom | |
19 January 1988 | SUI}} Saas Fee, Switzerland | Giant Slalom | |
19 March 1988 | SWE}} Åre, Sweden | Slalom | |
22 March 1988 | NOR}} Oppdal, Norway | Slalom | |
1989 | 11 December 1988 | ITA}} Madonna di Campiglio, Italy | Slalom |
1990 | 29 November 1989 | USA}} Waterville Valley, USA | Slalom |
8 March 1990 | NOR}} Geilo, Norway | Slalom | |
12 March 1990 | SWE}} Sälen, Sweden | Slalom | |
1991 | 11 December 1990 | ITA}} Sestriere, Italy | Slalom |
16 December 1990 | ITA}} Alta Badia, Italy | Giant Slalom | |
21 December 1990 | YUG}} Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant Slalom | |
1 March 1991 | NOR}} Lillehammer, Norway | Giant Slalom | |
9 March 1991 | USA}} Aspen, USA | Giant Slalom | |
21 March 1991 | USA}} Waterville Valley, USA | Giant Slalom | |
1992 | 23 November 1991 | Park City, USA | Giant Slalom |
24 November 1991 | Slalom | ||
10 December 1991 | ITA}} Sestriere, Italy | Slalom | |
15 December 1991 | ITA}} Alta Badia, Italy | Giant Slalom | |
5 January 1992 | SLO}} Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Slalom | |
19 January 1992 | AUT}} Kitzbühel, Austria | Slalom | |
26 January 1992 | SUI}} Wengen, Switzerland | Slalom | |
20 March 1992 | Crans-Montana, Switzerland | Giant Slalom | |
22 March 1992 | Slalom | ||
1993 | 9 January 1993 | GER}} Garmisch, Germany | Slalom |
1994 | 5 December 1993 | CAN}} Stoneham, Canada | Slalom |
14 December 1993 | ITA}} Sestriere, Italy | Slalom | |
30 January 1994 | FRA}} Chamonix, France | Slalom | |
6 February 1994 | GER}} Garmisch, Germany | Slalom | |
1995 | 4 December 1994 | FRA}} Tignes, France | Slalom |
12 December 1994 | ITA}} Sestriere, Italy | Slalom | |
20 December 1994 | Lech am Arlberg, Austria | Slalom | |
21 December 1994 | Slalom | ||
22 December 1994 | ITA}} Alta Badia, Italy | Giant Slalom | |
6 January 1995 | SLO}} Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant Slalom | |
8 January 1995 | GER}} Garmisch, Germany | Slalom | |
15 January 1995 | AUT}} Kitzbühel, Austria | Slalom | |
22 January 1995 | SUI}} Wengen, Switzerland | Slalom | |
4 February 1995 | SUI}} Adelboden, Switzerland | Giant Slalom | |
18 March 1995 | ITA}} Bormio, Italy | Giant Slalom | |
1996 | 19 December 1995 | ITA}} Madonna di Campiglio, Italy | Slalom |
22 December 1995 | SLO}} Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Slalom | |
7 January 1996 | AUT}} Flachau, Austria | Slalom | |
1997 | 30 January 1997 | AUT}} Schladming, Austria | Slalom |
1998 | 8 January 1998 | AUT}} Schladming, Austria | Slalom |
15 March 1998 | SUI}} Crans-Montana, Switzerland | Slalom |