Didier Défago


Didier Défago is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland.
Born in Morgins, Valais, Défago made his World Cup debut at age 18 in March 1996, and was Swiss national champion in downhill and Giant slalom. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, he won the downhill at Whistler to become the Olympic champion.
Défago finished the 2005 World Cup season as sixth overall and fourth in the Super-G, his most successful season so far. In 2009 he won two downhill races in a row, the classics at Wengen and Kitzbühel. He was the first to win these in consecutive weeks since Stephan Eberharter in 2002, and the first Swiss racer since Franz Heinzer in 1992.
While training on a glacier above Zermatt in mid-September 2010, Defago fell and injured ligaments in his left knee, ending his 2011 season.
Défago announced his retirement on March 18, 2015, after a second-place finish at the World Cup finals in the downhill in Méribel, France. Défago had his final World Cup race the next day in the super-G.

World Cup results

Season standings

Race podiums

SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace
200203 Mar 2002 Kvitfjell, NorwaySuper-G2nd
200320 Dec 2002 Val Gardena, ItalySuper-G1st
200326 Jan 2003 Kitzbühel, AustriaCombined3rd
200514 Jan 2005 Wengen, SwitzerlandSuper combined3rd
200520 Feb 2005 Garmisch, GermanySuper-G2nd
200506 Mar 2005 Kvitfjell, NorwaySuper-G2nd
200717 Dec 2006 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom3rd
200813 Mar 2008 Bormio, ItalySuper-G2nd
200919 Dec 2008 Val Gardena, ItalySuper-G2nd
200917 Jan 2009 Wengen, SwitzerlandDownhill1st
200924 Jan 2009 Kitzbühel, AustriaDownhill1st
201004 Dec 2009 Beaver Creek, United StatesSuper Combined2nd
201029 Dec 2009 Bormio, ItalyDownhill2nd
201229 Dec 2011 Bormio, ItalyDownhill1st
201426 Jan 2014 Kitzbühel, AustriaSuper-G1st
201518 Mar 2015 Méribel, FranceDownhill2nd

World Championship results

Olympic results 50px">File:Olympic rings.svg">50px