 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1920-06-30)30 June 1920 |
| Died | 12 May 1993(1993-05-12) (aged 72) San Marcello Pistoiese, Tuscany, Italy |
| Occupation | Alpine skier |
| Sport | |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Downhill,giant slalom,slalom,combined |
| Retired | 1954 (age 33) |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 2 – (1948,1952) |
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 3 – (1948,1950,1952) includes two Olympics |
| Medals | 4 (3 gold) |
Zeno Colò (30 June 1920 – 12 May 1993) was a championalpine ski racer fromItaly. Born inCutigliano,Tuscany, he was among the top ski racers of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
At theWorld Championships in1950 inAspen, he won gold medals in bothdownhill andgiant slalom, and the silver inslalom.[1][2][3][4] Two years later, at the1952 Olympics inOslo, he won gold in thedownhill,[5] and finished fourth in thegiant slalom andslalom. Italy waited two decades for its next Olympic gold in alpine skiing,Gustav Thöni's win ingiant slalom in1972.[6]
Colò won theLauberhorn downhill inWengen in 1948, and took the slalom title there in 1949 and 1950. Following his near-sweep at Aspen in 1950, he also won all threeNorth American titles in downhill, slalom, and combined the following week inCanada atMt Norquay nearBanff, Alberta.[7][8] At the1948 Olympics inSt. Moritz, Colò finished 14th in theslalom, but did not finish in thedownhill, which also eliminated him from thecombined. He set aspeed world record on skis in 1947, clocked at 98.7 mph (158.8 km/h) on the Italian side of theLittle Matterhorn.[9] which stood for 13 years.[10]
After the 1952 Olympics, Colò linked his name to a line of ski clothing and, according to the regulations of the time, he was considered a professional. In 1954, he was disqualified by theItalian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) and was not allowed to participate in subsequent races, notably the1954 World Championships inÅre, and he retired at age 33. The ban was lifted 35 years later in 1989.
Colò became a ski instructor in his native Abetone, helped develop the Pistoia ski resort, and promoted the Abetone Ski Company. In 1973, he designed three ski slopes that descend from the Gomito mountain, named Zeno 1, 2, and 3.
Colò died in 1993 fromlung cancer at age 72 inSan Marcello Pistoiese in Tuscany. Theasteroid58709 Zenocolò, discovered in 1998, was named in his honor.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 27 | 14 | not run | not run | DNF | DNF DH |
| 1950 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 1 | not run | |
| 1952 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
From1948 through1980, theWinter Olympics were also theWorld Championships for alpine skiing.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 27 | 14 | not run | not run | DNF | DNF DH |
| 1952 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 1 | not run |
