Kristian Ghedina


Kristian Ghedina is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Italy. His thirteen victories are the most by an Italian downhill specialist in World Cup history. He is currently an auto racer.

Biography

Ghedina was born in Cortina d'Ampezzo in the province of Belluno, and his mother tongue is Ladin. He studied in Innsbruck and made his World Cup debut in 1989. The following year, after a series of initial podiums and a ruinous fall, he won the last two downhills of the season. He won the silver medal in the Combined race of the 1991 World Championships at Saalbach, Austria; however, the following year he suffered a serious car crash.
Ghedina returned to his best form only in 1995, remaining among the best specialists in the speed disciplines until 2001, when he obtained the last of his 13 World Cup victories. He won also another silver medal at the 1996 and a bronze in the 1997 championships, both in downhill. After his last World Cup victory he kept on racing for another 5 seasons, reaching 15 top ten results, two of them podiums.
His probably most remarkable performance he gave on 24 January 2004 at the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel: on the last jump, approaching the finish line at a speed of 137,6 km/h, he produced a straddle in the air which amazed spectators and TV commentators; nevertheless he gained a temporary lead in the race, which he finished sixth in the end.
Ghedina retired from ski racing following the 2006 season. He has raced a BMW in the Italian Superturismo Championship and, driving a Lola, in the Formula 3000 International Masters. In 2012 he started working with the Croatian national ski team, advising the team on the alpine speed disciplines.

World Cup results

Podium

DatePlaceDisciplineRank
16/12/1989 Val GardenaDownhill3rd
11/01/1990 SchladmingDownhill2nd
03/02/1990 Cortina d'AmpezzoDownhill1st
15/03/1990 ÅreDownhill1st
13/01/1995 KitzbühelDownhill3rd
20/01/1995 WengenDownhill1st
25/02/1995 Whistler, BCDownhill1st
10/03/1995 KvitfjellSuper G2nd
11/03/1995 KvitfjellDownhill2nd
06/03/1996 KvitfjellDownhill3rd
20/12/1996 Val GardenaDownhill3rd
21/12/1996 Val GardenaDownhill1st
29/12/1996 BormioDownhill3rd
11/01/1997 ChamonixDownhill1st
18/01/1997 WengenDownhill1st
22/02/1997 Garmisch-PartenkirchenDownhill3rd
23/02/1997 Garmisch-PartenkirchenSuper G2nd
12/03/1997 Vail, CODownhill2nd
13/03/1997 Vail, COSuper G3rd
04/12/1997 Beaver Creek, CODownhill1st
24/01/1998 KitzbühelDownhill1st
19/12/1998 Val GardenaDownhill1st
27/11/1999 Vail, CODownhill3rd
17/12/1999 Val GardenaDownhill1st
18/12/1999 Val GardenaDownhill2nd
22/01/2000 KitzbühelDownhill2nd
29/01/2000 Garmisch-PartenkirchenDownhill2nd
04/03/2000 KvitfjellDownhill2nd
05/03/2000 KvitfjellSuper G1st
16/12/2000 Val d'IsereDownhill2nd
14/12/2001 Val GardenaDownhill1st
02/03/2002 KvitfjellDownhill3rd
08/01/2005 ChamonixDownhill2nd

Overall