HistoryData
sports1968

Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics — 1968 edition of the alpine skiing competitions during the Olympic Winter Games

January 1, 1968

Jean-Claude Killy swept all three men's alpine events at Grenoble, a feat unmatched by any male alpine skier in subsequent Olympics.

Quick Facts

Year
1968
Category
sports

Key Facts

Total events contested
6
Competition dates
9–17 February 1968
Men's gold medals by Killy
3 (all men's events)
Previous triple-gold men's
Toni Sailer, 1956 Winter Olympics
First two-run giant slalom
Men's giant slalom, one run per day
World Cup integration
Only Olympics with results in World Cup standings

By the Numbers

6
Total events contested
9
Competition dates
3
Men's gold medals by Killy
1,956
Previous triple-gold men's

Location

Map of Chamrousse, FranceMap of Chamrousse, FranceChamrousse, France

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

Alpine skiing had grown into a flagship Winter Olympics discipline by 1968, with six medal events scheduled at Chamrousse, southeast of Grenoble. The Games also coincided with the second season of the newly established World Cup circuit, prompting organizers to integrate Olympic results into its standings for the first and only time.

Event

Held 9–17 February 1968, the alpine skiing competition at the Grenoble Winter Olympics featured three men's and three women's events. French skier Jean-Claude Killy won all three men's races — downhill, slalom, and giant slalom — matching Toni Sailer's 1956 triple. The men's giant slalom was run over two days for the first time in Olympic history.

Consequence

Killy's clean sweep made him a national hero and an enduring figure in alpine ski racing; no male alpine skier has replicated the feat since. Following the 1970 season, Olympic and World Championship results were permanently removed from World Cup points standings, establishing a clearer separation between the circuits.

Result

Jean-Claude Killy (France)
3 gold medals (downhill, slalom, giant slalom)

at Chamrousse, Grenoble, France

First male alpine skier since Toni Sailer (1956) to win all three alpine events at a single Olympics

Timeline Context

Timeline around 19681968196519661967196919701971Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics — international basketball tournamentCategory:1968 by continent — Wikimedia category1968 Formula One season — sports season1968 AFC Asian Cup — football tournamentSocialist military government in Peru1968 Summer Olympics medal table1968 Summer Olympics — Games of the XIX Olympiad, in Mexico City, Mexico1968 African Cup of Nations — sixth edition of the Africa Cup of Nationsalpine-skiing-at-the-1968-winter-olympics-1968-edition-of-1968