- Eugenio Monti
Eugenio Monti (
January 23 ,1928 –December 1 ,2003 ) was an Italianbobsled der. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of this sport, with ten World championship medals (of which nine gold) and 6 Olympic medals, but is known also for an act ofsportsmanship during the1964 Winter Olympics inInnsbruck ,Austria that made him the first athlete ever to receive thePierre de Coubertin medal .Biography
Born in
Dobbiaco ,Italy , "The Flying Redhead" was the best Italian young skier: he won the national titles in slalom and giant slalom, and finished third indownhill , but a 1951 accident stopped hisalpine skiing career when he tore ligaments in both of his knees. Monti switched tobobsleigh , finding great success as a result. In 1954 he won his first Italian championship and in 1957 won his first world championship.At the
1956 Winter Olympics inCortina d'Ampezzo , he wonsilver medal s in the 2-man and 4-man bobsled events. He could not compete in the1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, because the bobsled race was not held for economic reasons (for the only time in the history of the Winter Olympic Games).But it was during the
1964 Winter Olympics inInnsbruck that Monti performed the best-known act of his sporting career. Realizing that British bobsledders Tony Nash andRobin Dixon had broken a bolt on their sled, Monti lent them the bolt of his sled. The Britons won the gold medal in the 2-man bobsled, while Monti and his teammate took thebronze medal . Answering critics from the home press, Monti told them "Nash didn't win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run." But that was not his only act of selfless generosity. In the four-man competition, the Canadian team ofVic Emery damaged their sled's axle and would have been disqualified had not Monti and his mechanics come to the rescue. The sled was repaired and the Canadian team went on to win the gold medal. For this, he was awarded thePierre de Coubertin medal .Finally, at the
1968 Winter Olympics inGrenoble ,France , a 40-year-old Monti won a gold in both the two-man and four-man events (the only non-German to do so). After his victory, he received Italy's highest civilian honor – theCommendatore of the Italian Republic and then retired to labor in his skiing facilities in Cortina.Suffering from
Parkinson's disease , Monti committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head onDecember 1 ,2003 .Turn 19 at
Cesana Pariol , the site of the 2006 Winter Olympicbobsled ,luge , and skeleton competitions, was named for Monti. The bobsleigh track that Monti competed on for years in Cortina was renamed in his honor following his 2003 death.Victories
*Gold medal in the two-man at the 1968 Winter Olympics
*Gold medal in the four-man at the 1968 Winter Olympics
*Silver medal in the two-man at the 1956 Winter Olympics
*Silver medal in the four-man at the 1956 Winter Olympics
*Bronze medal in the two-man at the 1964 Winter Olympics
*Bronze medal in the four-man at the 1964 Winter OlympicsFIBT World Championships *Gold medal in the two-man in 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966
*Gold medal in the four-man in 1960, 1961
*Silver medal in the four man in 1957References
* [http://www.geusc.bc.ca/sportsmanship.htm A lesson in sportsmanship from Monti's actions in 1964]
* [http://sports123.com/bob/mo-2.html Bobsleigh two-man Olympic medalists 1932-56 and since 1964]
* [http://sports123.com/bob/mo-4.html Bobsleigh four-man Olympic medalists for 1924, 1932-56, and since 1964]
* [http://sports123.com/bob/mw-2.html Bobsleigh two-man world championship medalists since 1931]
* [http://sports123.com/bob/mw-4.html Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930]
* [http://www.dolomiti.org/DENGl/cortina/cser/gis/bob/monti/monti.html Eugenio Monti]
* [http://www.torino2006.org/ITA/OlympicGames/news/news_ita123058.html Interview with Eugenio Monti (2003)] it icon
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/passion/humanity/monti_uk.asp Monti's sportsmanship story at the IOC website]
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=75123 Olympic.org profile]
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