Jean Vuarnet
1961 photo of Vuarnet | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Jean Raoul Célina André Vuarnet 18 January 1933 Le Bardo, Tunisia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 1 January 2017 (aged 83) Sallanches, Haute-Savoie, France | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Alpine skier ♂ | ||||||||||||||||||||
Spouses | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 1 – (1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 – (1958, 1960) (includes Olympics) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Jean Raoul Célina André Vuarnet (18 January 1933 – 1 January 2017) was an alpine ski racer from France. An Olympic gold medalist, he is known for inventing the "Tuck" skiing position, and was the first Olympian to win a gold medal using metal skis. Raised in Morzine, he had a childhood interest in skiing, which he pursued. He won a bronze medal in the downhill at the World Championships in 1958 at Bad Gastein, before winning gold in the same event in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. Vuarnet was also the author of several books on skiing. He gave his name to the Vuarnet brand in 1961. In 1995, his wife Edith Bonlieu, a fellow Olympian, and their son Patrick both died in a mass murder-suicide of members of the Order of the Solar Temple.