View source for Jean-Claude Killy

{{Short description|French alpine skier (born 1943)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox alpine ski racer
| name           = Jean-Claude Killy
| image          = Jean-Claude Killy in Moscow.jpg
| image_size     = 210 
| caption        = Jean-Claude Killy in Moscow in May 2012
| disciplines    = [[Downhill (ski competition)|Downhill]], [[giant slalom]], [[Slalom skiing|slalom]], [[Alpine skiing combined|combined]]
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1943|8|30|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Saint-Cloud]], [[Seine-et-Oise]], France
| death_date     = <!--{{death date and age|20YY|MM|DD|1943|8|30|df=y}}-->
| death_place    = 
| height         = 178&nbsp;cm
| wcdebut        = January [[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1967]] (age 23)<br />''inaugural season''
| retired        = April [[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1968]] (age 24) (World Cup) - November 1972 (age 29)        Again from 1976 (World Pro Ski Tour)
| website        = 
| olympicteams   = 2 – [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics|(1964]], [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968)]]
| olympicmedals  = 3
| olympicgolds   = 3
| worldsteams    = 4 – [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962|(1962]], [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics|1964]], [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966|1966]], [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1968|1968)]]<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;''includes two Olympics''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;''(injured in 1962)''
| worldsmedals   = 6
| worldsgolds    = 6
| wcseasons      = 2 – [[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|(1967]], [[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1968)]]
| wcwins         = 18 – (6 [[Downhill (ski competition)|DH]], 7 [[Giant slalom|GS]], 5 [[Slalom skiing|SL]])
| wcpodiums      = 24 – (8 [[Downhill (ski competition)|DH]], 9 [[Giant slalom|GS]], 7 [[Slalom skiing|SL]])
| wcoveralls     = 2 – [[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|(1967]], [[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|'68)]]
| wctitles       = 4  – (1 [[Downhill (ski competition)|DH]], 2 [[Giant slalom|GS]], 1 [[Slalom skiing|SL]])
| show-medals    = yes
| medals         = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[alpine skiing]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{FRA}} }}
{{MedalCount|total=yes|type=World Cup race podiums
| Slalom       | 5 | 1 | 1
| Giant slalom | 7 | 1 | 1
| Downhill     | 6 | 1 | 1

}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Grenoble]] | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|Downhill]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Grenoble | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom|Giant slalom]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Grenoble | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|Slalom]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966|1966 Portillo]] | Downhill }}
{{MedalGold | 1966 Portillo | Combined }}
{{MedalGold | [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1968|1968 Grenoble]] | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|Downhill]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Grenoble | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom|Giant slalom]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Grenoble | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|Slalom]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Grenoble | [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1968#Combined|Combined]] }}
}}
'''Jean-Claude Killy''' (born 30 August 1943) is a French former [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|World Cup]] [[Alpine skiing|alpine ski racer]]. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympics]], becoming the most successful athlete there. He also won the first two World Cup titles, in [[1967 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|1967]] and [[1968 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|1968]].

==Early life==
Killy was born in [[Saint-Cloud]], a suburb of Paris, during the [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation]] of World War II, but was brought up in [[Val-d'Isère]] in the Alps, where his family had relocated in 1945 following the war. His father, Robert, was a former [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]] pilot for the [[Free French]], and opened a ski shop in the [[Savoie]] village, and would later operate a hotel. In 1950, his mother Madeline abandoned the family for another man, leaving Robert to raise Jean-Claude, age 7, his older sister (France), and their infant brother (Mic). Jean-Claude was sent to boarding school in Chambéry, {{convert|80|mi|km|-1}} down the valley, but he despised being shut up in a classroom.<ref name=si1990>{{cite magazine |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069368/index.htm |magazine=Sports Illustrated |title=Killy: A Man and his Kingdom |last=Johnson |first=William Oscar |date=12 February 1990 |pages=206–218 |access-date=8 February 2012 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112134916/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069368/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early career==
Killy turned his attention to skiing rather than school. His father allowed him to drop out at age 15, and he made the French national junior team a year later. As a young racer, Killy was fast, but did not usually complete his races, and the early 1960s were not entirely successful for him.<ref name=si1990 />

In December 1961, at age 18, Killy won his first international race, a giant slalom. The event took place in his home village of Val-d'Isère. Killy had started 39th, a position that should have been a severe disadvantage.<ref name=si1990 />

The French coach picked Killy for the [[giant slalom]] in the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962|1962 World Championships]] in [[Chamonix]], France, {{convert|50|mi|km}} away in the shadow of [[Mont Blanc]]. But Killy, unaware of his selection, was still attempting to qualify for the [[Downhill (ski competition)|downhill]] event in northeastern Italy at [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]]. Only three weeks before the world championships, he skied in his typical reckless style. About {{convert|200|yd|m|spell=in}} from the finish, Killy hit a stretch of ice in a compression and went down, rose immediately, then crossed the finish on just one ski—and the fastest time. Unfortunately, his other leg was broken, and he watched the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships|1962 World Championships]] on crutches.<ref name=si1990 />

Two years later, at age 20, Killy was entered in all three of the men's events at the [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics|1964 Olympics]], because his coach wanted to prepare him for [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968]]. Unfortunately, Killy was plagued by recurrences of amoebic [[dysentery]] and [[hepatitis]], ailments that he had contracted in 1962 during a summer of compulsory service with the [[French Army]] in Algeria. His form was definitely off, and he fell a few yards after the start of the downhill, lost a binding in the slalom, and finished fifth in the giant slalom, in which he had been the heavy favorite.<ref name=si1990 /> Yet a few weeks later, he dominated a giant slalom race at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, counting for the prestigious Arlberg-Kandahar events, the oldest 'classic' in the sport. A year later, he also triumphed at another major competition, the slalom of the Hahnenkamm races at Kitzbühel that he clinched three times in a row until 1967.

Although the first half of the decade was a relative disappointment, Killy began to strongly improve his results afterwards to become one of the best technical ski racers. In August 1966, the Frenchman, nicknamed 'Toutoune' by some of his colleagues and friends, scored his first win in a [[Downhill skiing|downhill]] race against an international field at the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966|1966 World Championships]] in [[Portillo, Chile|Portillo]], Chile, and also took gold in the [[Alpine skiing combined|combined]]. Killy was peaking as the first [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|World Cup]] season was launched in January [[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1967]], with the [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympics]] in France only a year away.

== Dominance – 1967–68 ==

===World Cup results===

====Season standings====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Season !! Age !! Overall !! Slalom !! Giant<br />Slalom !! Super G !! Downhill !! Combined
|-
| [[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1967]] || ''23'' || style="background:gold;" | 1 || style="background:gold;" |1 || style="background:gold;" |1 || rowspan=2 | <small>''not<br />run'' </small> ||  style="background:gold;" |1 || rowspan=2 | <small>''not<br />awarded'' </small>
|-
| [[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1968]] || ''24'' || style="background:gold;" | 1 || style="background:silver;" |2 || style="background:gold;" |1 || style="background:silver;" |2
|}

====Season titles====
* 6 titles – (2 overall, 1 [[Downhill (ski competition)|DH]], 2 [[Giant slalom skiing|GS]], 1 [[Slalom skiing|SL]])
{| class="wikitable"
! Season !! Discipline
|-
| rowspan=4 align=center | '''[[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1967]]''' || align=center | '''Overall'''
|-
| align=center | [[Downhill skiing|Downhill]]
|-
| align=center | [[Giant slalom skiing|Giant slalom]]
|-
| align=center | [[Slalom skiing|Slalom]]
|-
| rowspan=2 align=center | '''[[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1968]]''' || align=center | '''Overall'''
|-
| align=center | Giant slalom
|}

====Race victories====
* 18 wins – (6 [[Downhill (ski competition)|DH]], 7 [[Giant slalom skiing|GS]], 5 [[Slalom skiing|SL]])
* 24 podiums – (8 [[Downhill (ski competition)|DH]], 9 [[Giant slalom skiing|GS]], 7 [[Slalom skiing|SL]])
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%;"
! Season !! Date !! Location !! Discipline
|-
| rowspan=12| '''[[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1967]]'''  || align=right| 9 Jan 1967 ||align=left|&nbsp;{{flagicon|SUI}}&nbsp;[[Adelboden]], [[Switzerland]] || [[Giant slalom]]
|-
| 14 Jan 1967 || rowspan=2 align=left|&nbsp;{{flagicon|SUI}}&nbsp;[[Lauberhorn|Wengen]], Switzerland || align=center | [[Downhill (ski competition)|Downhill]]
|-
| 15 Jan 1967 ||  align=center | [[Slalom skiing|Slalom]]
|-
| 21 Jan 1967 || rowspan=2 align=left|{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel|Kitzbühel]], [[Austria]] || Downhill
|-
| 22 Jan 1967 ||  Slalom
|-
| 27 Jan 1967 || align=left|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Megève]], [[France]] ||  Downhill
|-
| align=right | 3 Mar 1967 || align=left|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Sestriere]], [[Italy]] || Downhill
|-
| 10 Mar 1967 || rowspan=3 align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cannon Mountain Ski Area|Franconia]], [[New Hampshire|NH]], [[United States|USA]] ||  align=center | Downhill
|-
| 11 Mar 1967 ||  Slalom
|-
| 12 Mar 1967 || Giant slalom
|-
| 19 Mar 1967 || align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Vail Ski Resort|Vail]], [[Colorado|CO]], USA ||  Giant slalom
|-
| 25 Mar 1967 || align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jackson Hole Mountain Resort|Jackson]], [[Wyoming|WY]], USA || Giant slalom
|-
| rowspan=6 align=center | '''[[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1968]]'''  || align=right | 8 Jan 1968 ||align=left|&nbsp;{{flagicon|SUI}}&nbsp;Adelboden, Switzerland ||  Giant slalom
|-
| align=right | 9 Feb 1968 || rowspan=3 align=center | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Chamrousse|Grenoble]], France<br /><small>''[[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympics]]''</small> ^ ||  Downhill
|-
| 12 Feb 1968 ||  Giant slalom
|-
| 17 Feb 1968 || Slalom
|-
| 10 Mar 1968 || align=left|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Méribel]], France || Giant slalom
|-
| 29 Mar 1968 || align=left|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Red Mountain Resort|Rossland]], [[British Columbia|BC]], Canada || Slalom
|}
^ <small>Results from the [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympics]] (and [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970|1970 World Championships]]) were included in the [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|World Cup]] standings.</small>

Killy was the first [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|World Cup]] champion in [[1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1967]], winning 12 of 17 races to easily take the overall title. He also won the season standings in each of the three "classic" alpine disciplines; he won all five of the downhill races and four of the five giant slalom races.

The following year, Killy won the [[triple crown of alpine skiing]] with a sweep of all three Olympic gold medals ([[Downhill skiing|downhill]], [[giant slalom]], and [[Slalom skiing|slalom]]) [[Olympic Games scandals and controversies#1968 Winter Olympics|in controversial circumstances]] at the [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympics]] in [[Grenoble]], France. By finishing first in all races, he also captured the FIS [[Alpine World Ski Championships|world championship]] title in the [[Alpine skiing combined|combined]] event.

Electrical timing by Omega was accurate to one-hundredth of a second. Killy relied on his upper-body strength to hit the bar while already moving forward, giving himself a slight edge. This spectacular start appears to have helped him to beat his teammate Guy Perillat by a few hundredths in the Olympic downhill.

With the Olympic events included (for the only time) in the World Cup standings, Killy easily defended his title in [[1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1968]] as the overall champion, placing first in the giant slalom and second in the downhill and slalom season standings. He retired following the 1968 season, and moved to [[Geneva]], Switzerland, in 1969.

==World Championship results ==
<div style="float:left; text-align:left; padding-right:5px;">
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
!&nbsp;Year&nbsp;!!&nbsp;Age&nbsp;!!&nbsp;Slalom&nbsp;!! Giant<br />&nbsp;Slalom&nbsp;!! Super-G !! Downhill !! Combined
|-
| [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962|1962]] || ''18'' || — || — || rowspan=4 | <small>''not run''</small> || — || —
|-
| [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] || ''20'' || [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|DNF1]] || [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom|5]] || [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|42]] || [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics#World championships|—]]
|-
| [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966|1966]] || ''22'' || 8 || 5 || style="background:gold;" | 1 || style="background:gold;" | 1
|-
| [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968]] || ''24'' || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|1]] || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom|1]] || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|1]] || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics#World championships|1]]
|}
<small>From [[Alpine skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics|1948]] through [[Alpine skiing at the 1980 Winter Olympics|1980]], the [[Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics|Winter Olympics]] were also the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships|World Championships]] for alpine skiing.<br />
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).</small>
</div>

1962: injured
{{clear}}

==Olympic results==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
!&nbsp;Year&nbsp;!!&nbsp;Age&nbsp;!!&nbsp;Slalom&nbsp;!! Giant<br />&nbsp;Slalom&nbsp;!! Super-G !! Downhill !! Combined
|-
| [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] || ''20'' || [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|DNF1]] || [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom|5]] || rowspan=2 | <small>''not run''</small> ||  [[Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|42]] || rowspan=2 | <small>''not run''</small>
|-
| [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968]] || ''24'' || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom|1]] || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom|1]] || style="background:gold;" | [[Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill|1]]
|}

== Post-Olympic career ==
Killy's success in Grenoble could not have come at a more opportune time for him: the 1968 Winter Olympics were the first to be extensively televised, in color, by the [[American Broadcasting Company]]. His all-conquering success, combined with his Gallic flair and looks, made him an overnight celebrity in the United States, especially amongst young women. In May 1968, Killy signed with [[IMG (business)|International Management Group]], the sports management firm headed by [[Mark McCormack]]. After racing on Dynamic VR17 and [[Skis Rossignol|Rossignol]] skis during the part of his career when he was dominant, Killy signed a deal with [[Head (company)|Head Ski]] in the fall 1968 to endorse a metal and [[fiberglass]] ski named for him, the ''Killy 800''.<ref name=ksahsk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7ZYwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dEkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7118%2C2535046 |newspaper=Deseret News |last=Miller |first=Hack |title=Killy signs at Head Skis |date=11 November 1968 |page=C-1}}</ref><ref name=ftriob>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e4MuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pKAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2912%2C238101 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |title=French trio backs new ski |date=1 April 1969 |page=45}}</ref> Head, which was acquired by [[American Machine and Foundry|AMF]] the following year, manufactured a line of Killy skis for at least two years.

In April 1969, he was awarded the [[Helms World Trophy]].<ref>{{cite web  | title=Jean Claude Killy receives helms world trophy; The famous French ski champion received the award from the hands | website=Alamy |format=photo| url=https://www.alamy.com/apr-04-1969-jean-claude-killy-receives-helms-world-trophy-the-famous-image69440208.html | access-date=3 January 2024}}</ref>

In television advertisements, Killy promoted the [[American Express]] card. He also became a [[spokesman]] for [[Schwinn Bicycle Company|Schwinn]] bicycles, [[United Airlines]], and [[Chevrolet]] automobiles; the last, a role detailed by journalist [[Hunter S. Thompson]] in his 1970 article "[[The Temptations of Jean-Claude Killy]]" for ''[[Scanlan's Monthly]]''.

Killy starred as a ski instructor in the 1972 crime movie [[Snow Job (film)|''Snow Job'']], released in the UK as ''The Ski Raiders'', and US TV as ''The Great Ski Caper''. American children in the early 1970s knew Killy from a TV commercial where he introduces himself, his thick accent making his name into ''"Chocolate Kitty."''  Killy played himself in the [[1983 in film|1983]] movie [[Copper Mountain (film)|Copper Mountain: A Club Med Experience]], starring [[Jim Carrey]] and [[Alan Thicke]], set at [[Copper Mountain (Colorado)|Copper Mountain]], [[Colorado]]. Killy also stars in the noteworthy TV movie [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359821/?ref_=nv_sr_2 Peggy Fleming at Sun Valley (1971)], in which he performs some remarkable skiing tricks alongside the three-time ice skating World Champion [[Peggy Fleming]].

<!-- Needs high quality source per BLP
Although Killy did not compete in the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, he was a celebrity guest, and used a classic [[stiff-arm fend]] to knock a 5'-2", 17-year-old female American exchange student from out of the path of his entourage, into a snowbank. -->
Jean-Claude Killy also had a short career as a [[car racing|racing driver]] between 1967 and 1970, participating in several car races including at Monza. Killy entered the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] in [[1969 24 Hours of Le Mans|1969]], partnered with [[Bob Wollek]], another former skier turned racing driver. Killy and Wollek's car led its class for a while before pulling out of the race with only four hours to go. In team with fellow Frenchman Bernard Cahier, Killy was 7th overall in the 1967 [[Targa Florio]] in a [[Porsche 911 (classic)|Porsche 911]] S and first in the GT classification.

In November 1972, Killy came out of ski racing retirement at age 29 to compete on the pro circuit in the U.S. for two seasons. After a spirited challenge from two-time defending champion [[Spider Sabich]], Killy won the 1973 season title, taking $28,625 in race winnings and a $40,000 bonus for the championship.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135580/index.htm |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Brown |first=Gwilym S. |title=Goodby, &#91;sic&#93; Broadway, Hello, Schranz |date=16 April 1973 |page=66 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414042709/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135580/index.htm |archive-date=14 April 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=kpch>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VMQqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YLkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5320%2C2109868 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |title=Killy pro champion |date=9 April 1973 |page=18}}</ref>
He missed the next season, won by Hugo Nindl,<ref name=tphndl>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y4cxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uKEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2029%2C1929552 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Top pro Hugo Nindl wins in final slalom |date=4 April 1974 |page=23}}</ref> due to a recurring stomach ailment, then returned in the fall of 1974.<ref name=Ffkr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1BMyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-KEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2226%2C2813434 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |last=Moss |first=Marv |title={{Sic |hide=y|Fully|-}}fit Killy set for season |date=25 October 1974|page=26}}</ref><ref name=kefpscb>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_4IuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=saEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6558%2C3310188 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Killy eager for pro ski comeback |date=26 November 1974 |page=9}}</ref><ref name=ksnmo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IAohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eXIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4405%2C3118233 |newspaper=Schenectady (NY) Gazette |title=Killy, Sabich, Nindl, and many others to compete in Mt. Snow Pro Classic |date=31 January 1975 |page=23}}</ref> Injuries slowed him and he finished well out of the 1975 standings, won by [[Hank Kashiwa]].

In addition to trying his skill as a car racer, Killy made two television series. One, ''The Killy Style'', was a thirteen-week series that showcased various ski resorts, and the other, ''The Killy Challenge'', featured him racing against celebrities, who were all given handicaps. He was also sponsored by a champagne company, [[Moët & Chandon]], which paid him to be seen with a bottle of their champagne on his table everywhere he went.
In 1974 Killy, as part of this sponsorship deal was paid to ski down the previously unskied eastern slope of [[Mount Ngauruhoe|Mt Ngauruhoe]] (Peter Jackson's "Mt Doom") in [[New Zealand]]. The average slope on this side of the active volcano is 35 degrees. Radar recorded his speed at over {{convert|100|mph|abbr=on}}, and it took two takes, as cloud cover spoiled the first.

In 1975, Killy was hired to lead the new ski operations at [[Shawnee Mountain Ski Area]], a resort in the foothills of the [[Pocono Mountains]] in northeastern [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name="Ski2">{{cite magazine |last1=Gillen |first1=Bob |title=Feisty With Flair |magazine=Ski |date=February 1983}}</ref><ref name="PoconoRecord1">{{cite news |title=Killy to head Shawnee ski operations| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/44423416/ |access-date=December 21, 2020 |work=The Pocono Record |location=Allentown, Pennsylvania |date=November 29, 1975}}</ref><ref name="Ski1">{{cite magazine |title=Where To Ski in Your Region |magazine=Ski |date=January 1976}}</ref> In 1983, Bob Gillen wrote in ''Ski'' magazine about the growing reputation of Shawnee Mountain as a ski area.  He stated, "Some of the initial interest was stimulated by hiring Jean-Claude Killy to represent the facility, and for several seasons he spent a number of days there.  The first time my wife ever skied with me, I saw Killy flash by at Shawnee—he was fast and smooth and he stopped frequently to check the time on his [[Rolex]]."<ref name="Ski2" />

From 1977 to 1994, he was a member of the Executive board of the Alpine Skiing Committee of the [[Federation Internationale de Ski|FIS]]. Killy served as co-president of the [[1992 Winter Olympics]], held in [[Albertville]], France, and as the President of the Société du [[Tour de France]] cycling race between 1992 and 2001. From 1995 to 2014, he was a member of the [[International Olympic Committee]] and chaired the coordination committee for Turin 2006 and Sochi 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/news/jean-claude-killy-resigns-as-ioc-member-after-overseeing-successful-sochi-olympic-winter-games/228229 |publisher=International Olympic Committee |title=Jean-Claude Killy resigns as IOC member after overseeing successful Sochi Olympic Winter Games |date=28 March 2014}}</ref> He has been an Honorary Member since then.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/news/127th-ioc-session-comes-to-close-in-monaco/242155 |publisher=International Olympic Committee |title=127th IOC Session comes to close in Monaco |date=9 December 2014}}</ref>

Killy tried his hand at distance running and competed in the [[1983 New York City Marathon]], finishing in 3:58:33.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jean-Claude Killy:1983 New York City Marathon Results and Info|url=http://results.nyrr.org/runner/1243221/races|access-date=2022-02-03|website=results.nyrr.org}}</ref>

The [[ski resort|ski area]] of [[Val-d'Isère]] and [[Tignes]] in the French [[Alps]] was given the name [[Espace Killy|l'Espace Killy]], in his honor.<ref name="Figaro Killy">{{cite book |title=Le figaro magazine |date=December 1983 |publisher=Le Figaro |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XTU7AQAAIAAJ |access-date=14 February 2024 |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="Paris Match Killy">{{cite book |title=Paris Match |date=October 1983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-opNAQAAIAAJ |access-date=14 February 2024 |language=fr}}</ref>

Killy became Grand Officer of the [[Légion d'honneur]] in 2000.

[[Intrawest]] credits Killy with the design of a ski trail, "Cupp Run", at their [[Snowshoe Mountain|Snowshoe]] resort in [[West Virginia]].

== Personal life ==
From 1973 to 1987, he was married to French actress [[Danielle Gaubert]], until her death from cancer. Together they had a daughter, Émilie; he also adopted her two children from her first marriage to Rhadamés Trujillo, the son of [[Rafael Trujillo]], the assassinated [[dictator]] of the [[Dominican Republic]]. Gaubert and Trujillo were divorced in 1968 and later that year she met Killy. He is known for being friends with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/16/sport/vladimir-putin-jean-claude-killy-russia-sochi-skiing/?iid=ob_article_organicsidebar_expansion&iref=obnetwork | title=Vladimir Putin: Russian 'poorly treated,' says ski great Jean-Claude Killy | first=Rob | last=Hodgetts | date=17 December 2015 | publisher=CNN | access-date=26 June 2018 }}</ref><ref name=si1990 /> In an interview for the 1972 documentary [[Elvis on Tour]], [[Elvis Presley]] named Jean-Claude as his favorite skier.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{sports links}}
* {{Ski-DB}}

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{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|CAN}} [[Frank King (Olympic organiser)|Frank King]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[President of the Olympic Organizing Committee|President of Organizing Committee<br />for Winter Olympic Games]] | years=[[1992 Winter Olympics|1992]]}}
{{s-aft|after= {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Gerhard Heiberg]]}}
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{{Footer Olympic Champions Slalom Men}}
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{{Footer World Champions Downhill Men}}
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{{PAP European Sportsperson of the Year}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Killy, Jean-Claude}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:French male alpine skiers]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for France]]
[[Category:Olympic alpine skiers for France]]
[[Category:Alpine skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Alpine skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:French International Olympic Committee members]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:French racing drivers]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers]]
[[Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in alpine skiing]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Olympic Order]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games]]
[[Category:FIS Alpine Ski World Cup champions]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Saint-Cloud]]
[[Category:20th-century French sportsmen]]