Schneider, Vreni

▪ 1996

      The French called her "La Legende." To the Germans she was "wunderbar." For the Italians, "Vreni, vidi, vici" said it all. In any language Vreni Schneider, the Swiss Alpine ski racer, was the toast wherever ski fans congregated, and they followed her across the Alps in droves, armed with mountain cowbells and Swiss national flags. In a glorious career of 11 seasons in the top flight, the consistent Schneider accumulated a massive collection of honours. At the end of the 1994-95 season, she announced her retirement from competitive skiing.

      She was overall World Cup victor three times, in 1989, 1994, and 1995, and for 10 successive years was never out of the top six in the final ratings despite inevitable knee injuries. Her six titles in slalom and five in giant slalom were unmatched. In one season, 1988-89, she won a record 13 World Cup races and a combined event, including all seven slaloms held that winter. Her career included 55 cup race wins, seven short of the Austrian downhiller Annemarie Moser-Proell.

      Undoubtedly the best woman slalomer and giant slalomer of all time, Schneider won the most Olympic women's titles in Alpine skiing, three—both giant slalom and slalom at Calgary, Alta., in 1988 and slalom again at Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994. In the world championships she gained two giant slalom titles, at Crans-Montana, Switz., in 1987 and at Vail, Colo., in 1989, and one in slalom, at Saalbach, Austria, in 1991. Also in the world championships, she claimed a runner-up place in slalom and second and third spots in Alpine combination.

      A shoemaker's daughter born on Nov. 26, 1964, in the tiny village of Elm in the eastern Swiss canton of Glarus, Schneider, a down-to-earth nature lover, remained modest and unaffected notwithstanding extensive media coverage and the devotion of her fans. A characteristic of her slalom racing was a relatively cautious first descent, to minimize the chance of elimination through an early mishap. Afterward, throwing caution to the wind, she often spectacularly came from behind with a sizzling risk-all second burst to clinch a winning two-run aggregate. This was seldom better exemplified than in the final race of her career, in March 1995 at Bormio, Italy, when a slalom victory was needed to clinch her third World Cup triumph. She responded to the challenge with a superb second run to win the overall title by only six points, the smallest-ever margin. It was a perfect swan song.

      Essentially a slalom specialist, Schneider disliked the downhill but was not averse to taking part when World Cup points were vital. Despite ever-increasing commercialization at the sport's top level, she always raced because she loved it—and that, perhaps, was the key to her consistent success. Summoning total concentration and complete commitment, she demonstrated a flawless technical fluency that commanded worldwide admiration. (HOWARD BASS)

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▪ Swiss athlete

born Nov. 26, 1964, Elm, Switz.

      Swiss Alpine skier who was the dominant female skier of her generation and one of the greatest skiers in the history of the slalom and giant slalom events. During her career in the Winter Olympics, she accumulated more gold medals (three) in women's Alpine skiing than any other skier.

      A shoemaker's daughter from the tiny town of Elm in eastern Switzerland, Schneider began skiing when she was three years old. As a member of the Swiss national ski team, she was the overall World Cup victor three times (1989, 1994, and 1995), and for 10 successive years she was never out of the top six in the final ratings. Her six titles in slalom and five in giant slalom were unmatched. In the 1988–89 season she won a record 13 World Cup races and a combined event, including all seven slaloms held that winter.

      At the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Schneider captured gold medals in the slalom and giant slalom events. The 1992 Games in Albertville, France, were a disappointment as she fell in the giant slalom and could do no better than seventh in the slalom. She returned to form at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway, winning a gold medal in the slalom, a silver in the combined, and a bronze in the giant slalom.

      Schneider typically was cautious on her first run of a competition, only to make a daredevil run on the second descent that usually put pressure on her opponents. She retired from competitive skiing after the 1994–95 World Cup season. In her career she won 55 World Cup races, a total second only to Austrian downhiller Annemarie Moser-Pröll (Moser-Pröll, Annemarie).

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