Eugenio Monti

Eugenio Monti
Monti in the 1950s
Personal information
Born(1928-01-23)23 January 1928
Toblach, Italy
Died1 December 2003(2003-12-01) (aged 75)
Belluno, Italy
Sport
Country Italy
SportBobsleigh
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 2 2
World Championships 9 1 0
Total 11 3 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Grenoble Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1968 Grenoble Four-man
Silver medal – second place 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Two-man
Silver medal – second place 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Four-man
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Innsbruck Two-man
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Innsbruck Four-man
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1957 St. Moritz Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1958 Garmisch Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1959 St. Moritz Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1960 Cortina d'Ampezzo Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1960 Cortina d'Ampezzo Four-man
Gold medal – first place 1961 Lake Placid Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1961 Lake Placid Four-man
Gold medal – first place 1963 Igls Two-man
Gold medal – first place 1966 Cortina d'Ampezzo Two-man
Silver medal – second place 1957 St. Moritz Four-man

Eugenio Monti (23 January 1928 – 1 December 2003) was an Italian bobsledder and alpine skier.[1] He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of the bobsleigh, with ten World championship medals (of which nine gold) and 6 Olympic medals including two golds. He is known also for his acts of sportsmanship during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, which made him the first athlete ever to receive the Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy.[2][3][4]

Biography

Born in Toblach, Italy, The Flying Redhead was the best Italian young skier: he won the national titles in slalom and giant slalom, and finished third in downhill, but a 1951 accident stopped his alpine skiing career when he tore ligaments in both of his knees. Monti switched to bobsleigh, finding great success as a result. In 1954 he won his first Italian championship and in 1957 won his first world championship.[1][5]

At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, he won silver medals in the 2-man and 4-man bobsled events. He could not compete in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, because the bobsled race was not held for economic reasons (for the only time in the history of the Winter Olympic Games).[1]

But it was during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck that Monti performed the best-known act of his sporting career. Realizing that British bobsledders Tony Nash and Robin Dixon had broken a bolt on their sled, Monti lent them the bolt off his sled. The Britons won the gold medal in the 2-man bobsled, while Monti and his teammate took the bronze medal. Answering critics from the home press, Monti told them "Nash didn't win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run." Monti also showed his act of selfless generosity in the four-man competition. There, the Canadian team of Vic Emery had damaged their sled's axle and would have been disqualified had not Monti and his mechanics come to the rescue. The sled was repaired and the Canadian team went on to win the gold medal, while Monti's team took bronze. For these acts of sportsmanship, he was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy.[1][6]

Finally, at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, a 40-year-old Monti won a gold in both the two-man and four-man events (the first non-German to do so). After his victory, he received Italy's highest civilian honor – the Commendatore of the Italian Republic and then retired to labor in his skiing facilities in Cortina.[1]

Struck by numerous hardships (separation from his wife, the departure of his daughter for the United States, the death of his son from an overdose), suffering from Parkinson's disease, on 30 November 2003 he shot himself in the head; transported to the hospital in Belluno, he died the next day.[7]

Turn 19 at Cesana Pariol, the site of the 2006 Winter Olympic bobsled, luge, and skeleton competitions, was named for Monti. The bobsleigh track that Monti competed on for years in Cortina and is slated for the 2026 Winter Olympics was renamed in his honor following his 2003 death.

Achievements

Eugenio Monti, in the driver's seat of his bob, in 1960s
Eugenio Monti, at a Gala evening, in 1960s

Bobsleigh

Olympic Games

World Championships

  • Gold medal in the two-man in 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966
  • Gold medal in the four-man in 1960, 1961
  • Silver medal in the four man in 1957

Alpine skiing

National titles

Monti has won three national titles.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Terruzzi racconta: Eugenio Monti" (in Italian). redbull.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Top-10 moments of Olympic sportsmanship". olympic.ca. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  3. ^ "The Legend of the "Flying Redhead"". dolomiti.org. Archived from the original on 2004-08-29. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. ^ Praderio, Caroline (23 August 2016). "There are 2 prestigious awards named for the founder of the modern Olympic movement — here are 8 athletes who have won them". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  5. ^ "Eugenio Monti: il "Rosso volante". Interview with Eugenio Monti (2003)". torino2006.org. Archived from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  6. ^ "A lesson in sportsmanship from Monti's actions in 1964". geusc.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 2004-08-06. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Monti tenta il suicidio una leggenda in fin di vita". repubblica.it. 1 December 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Campionati italiani assoluti, l'albo d'oro della discesa" (in Italian). fisi.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  9. ^ "L'albo d'oro della discesa femminile dei Campionati Italiani" (in Italian). fisi.org. Retrieved 16 February 2021.[dead link‍]
Summer Olympics
Preceded by Italy Flag bearer for Italy
1964 Innsbruck 		Succeeded by