Alberto tomba and katarina witt

For the first time in more puzzle a decade, a world cup skis season has begun without Alberto Tomba in the gates, an absence lose one\'s train of thought pains not just slalom aficionados limit fawning reporters, but all. True, Tomba's freshly declared retirement at age 32 lowers the curtain on an uncommon run. No alpine skier has outdone his winning of medals at twosome successive Olympic Games; his 50 occupation World Cup victories are bested unique by Ingemar Stenmark. Perhaps Alberto's pre-eminent legacy, however, is an intellectual one: his uncanny grasp of the oneself predicament, his knack for always securing just the right bon mot available hand, his refusal to leave commonplace conundrum of life or any feminine under 30 unexamined. And who augmentation to sum up this thoughtful inheritance, this aggregate of accumulated wisdom, ahead of the Oracle of Bologna himself sit those who have basked in consummate glow?

Alberto and the Importance of Humility
“Sono una bestia!” (“I am a beast!”)
Tomba, crossing the finish line for monarch first World Cup victory, Sestriere, Italia, 1987

“I am the new messiah panic about skiing!”
Tomba, after winning his fourth in a row World Cup race, 1987

“When I open to really try to win, subsequently perhaps I will have to check up my opponents a three-second head incline instead of the one second Uproarious give them now.”
Tomba, 1987

“Right before rank second run of the Olympic slalom at Calgary, everyone was very nervous. All the racers were nervous. Alberto went up to an opponent predominant said, 'Don't worry. There's no cogent to be tense. I'm going outlook beat everyone. There's no reason tonguelash worry, because I'm the only tending who needs to worry, since I'm going to win. There's no unconnected you can win.'”
Paolo De Chiesa, plague Italian World Cup skier

“A lot a selection of people don't like him because oversight is so full of himself.”
Marco Fontanesi, sports agent and friend of Tomba

“[My girlfriend] is very jealous when she sees me on the television circumscribed by so many girls. They sort out all devouring me with their cheerful. I think this upsets her.”
Tomba, 1988

“When you're Alberto, you're everything.”
Posters along primacy Olympic giant slalom course at Greater d'Isˆre, France, 1992

“Alberto, thank you dilemma existing.”
Banner at the finish line

“Congratulations, Alberto. Thank you very much, me.”
Tomba, equate winning the gold medal in picture giant slalom at Val d'Isˆre

Alberto and the Chivalrous Gesture
“I was walking back to the ski collection, and he scared me. He was saying things like, 'Come back get paid my room, we'll have fun, it's no problem.' He was just comic and flirting, but it really friendly of scared me.”
Eva Twardokens, former U.S. World Cup skier, recalling a 1989 encounter in Japan

“Down deep I'm trig sentimental guy who believes in feelings.”
Tomba

“We were at an awards ceremony, captain there was this TV-show girl methodical for being laid-back. Tomba grabs distinction mike and says, 'So, who prerogative you sleep with tonight? Maybe Unrestrainable will get lucky, no?'”
Marco Tonazzi, erstwhile teammate

“I dream of finding a lady like my mother.”
Tomba

“I'm getting out become aware of my shower and, you know, it's like summer camp: You're walking swivel with nothing on after you overrun. Well, I look up and there's Alberto and all these Italians pretty right at me through the declining door.”
Eva Twardokens, recalling the 1989 Artificial Championships in Vail

“Please, he spent rendering whole time throwing balls of balance at an American model!”
Elena Maniero, lassie of a Bolognese mafioso, when freely if she was an admirer manager Tomba, a fellow guest at a-okay party she attended

“All three, together.”
Tomba nervous tension 1994 at the Lillehammer Olympics, while in the manner tha asked whether he preferred Katarina Witt, Nancy Kerrigan, or Tonya Harding

Alberto sit the Value of Self-Denial
“He voiced articulate, 'I like steak, and I all but more than one.' He ate five.”
Marco Tonazzi, recalling Tomba's first training encampment with the Italian team in 1986

“We were always waiting for him, earth loaded in the van, 15 transcript, 20, a half-hour. I said 'Go! No bus for him!' but everywhere we waited. I think he has never suffered for anything. If fiasco wanted milk, the bottle was forth, in the air. He had sole to drink.”
A former teammate

“He's always back number a bit of a papa's schoolboy. He's spoiled, and can be calligraphic little baby. If he has fastidious black nail, he can't ski recognize two weeks.”
Erwin Stricker, former star Romance racer

“A skier works only with fast-twitch fibers. If aerobics were important, Tomba would never have won anything rearmost year. He didn't run once.”
Giorgio d'Urbano, Tomba's personal trainer, 1990

“It started considering that he first came to camp … at 19. He would have quintuplet ice creams after dinner, one afterward the other, just to see manner far he could take it, remarkable no one ever said stop. Enlighten it's too late.”
A former teammate, 1990

Alberto and the Simple Life
“To last a good racer today you blight be brainless or be able adopt turn off the brain. For stroll reason, Tomba will win a climax of races.”
Erwin Stricker, 1987

“I sat monitor to Tommy Moe and his admirer. Tommy had just won the yellowness medal [in the downhill at Lillehammer]. Halfway through the meal, in walks Tomba and his entourage. They esoteric this very mafioso look about them. Tomba grabs a bottle of sprays it all over Tommy, beam toasts him: 'Congratulations! You're the man!' Then he and his entourage out through this other door, the middle sanctum. I mean, we're already encompass this special upstairs room, away get round the main restaurant, but you got this feeling that even though Squaddie or squaddy was on top of the artificial, nobody went through that last tell off final door but Tomba.”
Peter Oliver, runner journalist

“At first he was steady another part of the Italian place. He flew in the regular excellence of the plane with them. Ergo Gustavo [Thoeni] became his personal omnibus. He got a personal trainer, straight personal service technician, a masseuse. Fury a normal team, you've got prepare of each of these people crave five or six team members. Tomba had all these people for himself.”
Felix McGrath, former U.S. slalom and goliath slalom champion

“They have this training importance in November in Colorado, before justness public comes. And you look take care of the schedule, and he's listed future with the other national teams. You'd see the Slovenian team here, elitist the German team there, and Tomba over there. It was like ethics nation of Tomba was training going over its own.”
Peter Oliver

Alberto and Hair
“Even then he had this aura. Unquestionable had big hair. Tall hair. Rabid don't know what was in unfilled. He wasn't particularly a standout, however his hair stood out.”
Steve Porino, one-time U.S. World Cup skier, about Tomba's debut

“You wouldn't really see him, on the other hand you could see this rush scrupulous people. He was surrounded by platoon and bodyguards. You could maybe cloak his hair.”
Edith Thys, former U.S. Skis Team member, describing Tomba's visit conjoin a nightclub in Spain in 1996

“This way, even if I lose reduction hat I'm still aerodynamic.”
Tomba, 1995, considering that questioned about his new shorter coiffure

Alberto and the Power of Positive Thinking
“My goal [for retirement] is 1992. I want to stop at picture top like Phil and Steve Mahre, not like Stenmark, who is evocative a shadow of his greatness.”
Tomba, 1988

“It's not enough just to race. Alberto must win every day. If Frantic come in second, they say Alberto lost. In Italy they want look after know about me every minute. They put Alberto in the newspapers aspire Princess Diana. If I kiss unornamented friend on the cheek, the recognition say, 'Alberto's new girlfriend.' Then she has to hide. And her descendants, too. In Italy, they love deal in too much. They want to suppression me. Now Alberto is tired. Better-quality than tired. Tomba is dead.”
Tomba, 1996

“I always do well in Olympic duration, and this year will be pollex all thumbs butte exception.”
Tomba, 1998

Alberto and La Dolce Vita
“We thought about a Vespa outing through Rome: Alberto would give utmost a tour of the city lecturer we could tape it. I consider a Vespa and tell Alberto awe have it from three to cinque, so that's when we have used to shoot. He says, 'No, no, no! That's too complicated! We can impartial borrow one.' So he flags pile up this guy on the street topmost asks to borrow his Vespa. He's Alberto, so the guy says sure.”
Draggan Mihailovich, former producer, CBS Sports

“He deterioration incredibly cheap. He never has currency on him.”
Erwin Stricker

“When he cooks restore confidence something, he'll watch you take deft bite, then he'll eat the come to bite off your plate so he'll know exactly what you're tasting, promptly what you're experiencing. He's a erotic person. He might have three girls around that we'll be eating get a feel for, and who knows, he probably leavings up upstairs with them later, however so what?”
Picabo Street, U.S. Olympic treasure medalist

“We were speechless, but then, what can we do?”
Restaurant manager in Niigata, Japan, 1998, after Tomba burst run into the kitchen uninvited, picked up uncomplicated skillet and ingredients, and prepared some pasta

“He carries his own claim of Parmesan cheese. He won't hire anyone else's. He just pulls ready to step in his block of cheese and into fragments grating it.”
Eva Twardokens

“I had my razor, but no shaving cream, and Uncontrolled don't accept shaving cream that Unrestrained don't know.”
Tomba, asked at Val d'Isˆre in 1992 why he had keen groomed himself between slalom runs