Alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom
The men's slalom at the 1956 Winter Olympics was held on the Col Druscié run on Tuesday, 31 January. The course length was 617 metres (2,024 ft) with a vertical drop of 251 m (823 ft); the first run had 79 gates and the second had 92 gates. Fifty-seven athletes finished both runs and 23 were disqualified during the first run, and eight during the second. Twenty-nine countries were represented and Toni Sailer of Austria won the second of his three gold medals at these Games. Chiharu Igaya won the silver and Stig Sollander of Sweden took the bronze.
Medalists Sollander, Sailer, and Igaya
Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer was an Austrian alpine ski racer, considered among the best in the sport. At age 20, he won all three gold medals in alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics. He nearly duplicated the feat at the 1958 World Championships with two golds and a silver. He also won world titles both years in the combined, then a "paper" race, but awarded with medals by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Sailer in 1956
Toni Sailer in front of his house in Kitzbühel, 1998