Ingemar Stenmark

Ingemar Stenmark

Stenmark in 2011
Personal information
Full name Jan Ingemar Stenmark
Born 18 March 1956
Joesjö, Storuman,
Lapland, Sweden
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Professional information
Club Fjällvinden Tärnaby
Skis Elan
World Cup
Seasons 16 – (197489)
Wins 86 – (46 GS, 40 SL)
Additional podiums 69
Total podiums 155

Jan Ingemar Stenmark (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈɪŋɛmar ˈsteːnmark]), born 18 March 1956 in Joesjö, Sweden, is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Sweden. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen,[1] and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.

Born in in Joesjö, Storuman Municipality, Lapland, Stenmark's family moved to Tärnaby near Norway when he was four years old. He became a childhood neighbor of Stig Strand (also born 1956), who tied Stenmark for the World Cup slalom title in 1983. Stenmark began skiing at the age of five and won his first national competition at age eight.

Competitive record

Stenmark made his World Cup debut in December 1973 at age 17. He won far more international races than any other alpine skier in history; with 86 wins (46 giant slaloms and 40 slaloms) he is 32 ahead of Hermann Maier, with 54 victories to his name. Stenmark won only in the two technical disciplines: slalom and giant slalom (the other events are downhill, super-G, first run in December 1982, and combined). He rarely competed in the other disciplines, as he was not comfortable with speeds in excess of 120 km/h (75 mph). Stenmark was known as a quiet champion, with short, but polite, responses to media questions.[2][1][3]

For his three straight World Cup titles (1976–78), Stenmark earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1979 (shared with Erik Håker and Raisa Smetanina). Stenmark also earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal twice (1975, 1978). His 1978 medal was shared with tennis player Björn Borg, making them the only two men to ever win the honor twice (female alpine skier Anja Pärson received the medal in 2006 and 2007).

At the World Championships in 1978 in West Germany, Stenmark won the slalom by two-thirds of a second and the giant slalom by over two seconds,[2] and successfully defended both world titles at the Winter Olympics in 1980 at Lake Placid, which were also world championships. At the next worlds in 1982 in Austria, he had a sub-standard first run in the giant slalom and was upset by American Steve Mahre and settled for silver.[4][5][6] Stenmark rebounded in the slalom and became the first to win the same title in three consecutive world championships.[7] At age 25, it was his final medal in a major competition.

Stenmark was not allowed to participate in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo by the International Ski Federation (FIS) for accepting promotional payments directly, rather than through the national ski federation.[8] Hanni Wenzel of Liechetenstein was also banned; both were double gold medalists in 1980.[9][10][11] Stenmark was allowed back into the Olympic competition in 1988,[3][12] but was past his prime and did not medal. He retired from World Cup competition at the end of the 1989 season in March, days before his 33rd birthday.[13]

Other

During the years from 1976 to 1978 Stenmark, along with tennis player Björn Borg, became a national icon in Sweden.[1] This was not changed by the fact that he moved to Monaco in 1980 for tax reasons.[3][8] At age 40, he won the Swedish Superstars championship in 1996.[14] On 26 December 2004, Stenmark survived the Indian Ocean earthquake while on vacation in Thailand. In 2015, he was a celebrity dancer on the Let's Dance 2015, where he teamed up with professional dancer Cecilia Ehrling.[15]

Personal

Stenmark married longtime girlfriend Ann Uvhagen, a Lufthansa airline hostess, in September 1984,[3][16] and they have a daughter.[17]

He is now, 2015, married to Tarja Olli from Jakobstad, Finland, and they also have a daughter.

World Cup results

Season titles

Season Discipline
1975 Giant slalom
Slalom
1976 Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
1977 Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
1978 Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
1979 Giant slalom
Slalom
1980 Giant slalom
Slalom
1981 Giant slalom
Slalom
1983 Slalom
1984 Giant slalom

Season standings

Season  Age   Overall   Slalom  Giant
 slalom 
Super-G Downhill Combined
1974 17 12 6 not
run
not
awarded
1975 18 2 1 1
1976 19 1 1 1
1977 20 1 1 1 not
awarded
1978 21 1 1 1
1979 22 5 1 1
1980 23 2 1 1
1981 24 2 1 1 15
1982 25 2 2 2
1983 26 2 1 2 not
awarded
(w/ GS)
23
1984 27 2 2 1
1985 28 6 3 10 25
1986 29 5 2 2
1987 30 6 2 7
1988 31 21 16 9
1989 32 17 21 4

Race victories

86 wins - (46 GS, 40 SL), 155 podiums

Season Date Location Discipline
1975 17 Dec 1974 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom
12 Jan 1975  Switzerland  Wengen, SwitzerlandSlalom
23 Feb 1975 Japan Naeba, Japan Giant slalom
2 Mar 1975 Canada Garibaldi (Whistler), CanadaGiant slalom
13 Mar 1975 United States Sun Valley, USAGiant slalom
1976 15 Dec 1975 Italy Sterzing / Vipiteno, ItalySlalom
11 Jan 1976  Switzerland  Wengen, SwitzerlandSlalom
24 Jan 1976 Austria Kitzbühel, AustriaSlalom
27 Jan 1976 West Germany Zwiesel, West GermanyGiant slalom
7 Mar 1976 United States Copper Mountain, USASlalom
14 Mar 1976 United States Aspen, USASlalom
1977 3 Jan 1977  Switzerland  Laax, SwitzerlandSlalom
10 Jan 1977 West Germany Berchtesgaden, W. GermanySlalom
16 Jan 1977Austria Kitzbühel, AustriaSlalom
23 Jan 1977  Switzerland  Wengen, SwitzerlandSlalom
6 Feb 1977 Austria St. Anton, AustriaSlalom
6 Mar 1977 United States Sun Valley, USA  Giant slalom  
18 Mar 1977 Norway Voss, NorwaySlalom
20 Mar 1977 Sweden Åre, SwedenSlalom
21 Mar 1977 Giant slalom
25 Mar 1977 Spain Sierra Nevada, SpainGiant slalom
1978 10 Dec 1977 France Val d'Isère, FranceGiant slalom
13 Dec 1977 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, ItalySlalom
14 Dec 1977 Giant slalom
5 Jan 1978 West Germany Oberstaufen, West GermanySlalom
8 Jan 1978 West Germany Zwiesel, West GermanyGiant slalom
9 Jan 1978 Slalom
18 Mar 1978  Switzerland  Arosa, Switzerland Giant slalom
1979 9 Dec 1978 Austria Schladming, Austria Giant slalom
21 Dec 1978 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia Slalom
22 Dec 1978 Giant slalom
7 Jan 1979 France Courchevel, France Giant slalom
16 Jan 1979 Switzerland  Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom
23 Jan 1979 Austria Steinach, AustriaGiant slalom
4 Feb 1979 Czechoslovakia Jasná, Czechoslovakia Giant slalom
10 Feb 1979 Sweden Åre, SwedenGiant slalom
11 Feb 1979 Slalom
4 Mar 1979 United States Lake Placid, USA Giant slalom
12 Mar 1979 United States Heavenly Valley, USAGiant slalom
17 Mar 1979 Japan Furano, JapanSlalom
19 Mar 1979 Giant slalom
1980 8 Dec 1979 France Val d'Isère, France Giant slalom
11 Dec 1979 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom
12 Dec 1979 Giant slalom
21 Jan 1980  Switzerland  Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom
27 Jan 1980 France Chamonix, France Slalom
27 Feb 1980United States Waterville Valley, USA Slalom
1 Mar 1980 Canada Mont-Sainte-Anne, CanadaGiant slalom
10 Mar 1980 Italy Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Slalom
11 Mar 1980 Giant slalom
13 Mar 1980 Austria Saalbach, AustriaGiant slalom
15 Mar 1980 Slalom
1981 9 Dec 1980 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom
10 Dec 1980 Giant slalom
6 Jan 1981 France Morzine, France Giant slalom
18 Jan 1981 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Slalom
26 Jan 1981  Switzerland  Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom
1 Feb 1981 Austria St. Anton, Austria Slalom
2 Feb 1981 Austria Schladming, Austria Giant slalom
8 Feb 1981 Norway Oslo, Norway Slalom
11 Feb 1981 Norway Voss, Norway Giant slalom
14 Feb 1981 Sweden Åre, SwedenGiant slalom
1982 9 Jan 1982 France Morzine, France Giant slalom
12 Jan 1982 West Germany Bad Wiessee, West Germany Slalom
17 Jan 1982 Austria Kitzbühel, AustriaSlalom
19 Jan 1982  Switzerland  Adelboden, SwitzerlandGiant slalom
9 Feb 1982 Austria Kirchberg, AustriaGiant slalom
1983 14 Dec 1982 Italy Courmayeur, ItalySlalom
23 Jan 1983 Austria Kitzbühel, AustriaSlalom
11 Feb 1983 France Markstein, FranceSlalom
13 Feb 1983 West Germany Todtnau, West Germany Giant slalom
26 Feb 1983 Sweden Gällivare, SwedenGiant slalom
1984 13 Dec 1983 Italy Courmayeur, ItalySlalom
20 Dec 1983 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, ItalySlalom
10 Jan 1984  Switzerland  Adelboden, SwitzerlandGiant slalom
17 Jan 1984  Switzerland  Parpan, SwitzerlandSlalom
23 Jan 1984 Austria Kirchberg, AustriaGiant slalom
4 Feb 1984 Bulgaria Borovetz, Bulgaria Giant slalom
7 Mar 1984 United States Vail, USAGiant slalom
1986 15 Dec 1985 Italy Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom
25 Jan 1986 Austria St. Anton, AustriaSlalom
27 Feb 1986 Norway Hemsedal, NorwayGiant slalom
18 Mar 1986 United States Lake Placid, USAGiant slalom
1987 29 Nov 1986 Italy Sestriere, ItalySlalom
14 Feb 1987 France Markstein, FranceSlalom
1989 19 Feb 1989 United States Aspen, USAGiant slalom

World championship results

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 slalom 
Super-G Downhill Combined
1974 17 DNF 9 not run
1976 19 DNF2 3
1978 21 1 1
1980 23 1 1
1982 25 1 2
1985 28 4 DNF
1987 30 5 10
1989 32 DNF2 6

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

Olympic results

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 slalom 
Super-G Downhill Combined
1976 19 DNF2 3 not run not run
1980 23 1 1
1984 27 did not compete
1988 31 5 DNF2

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Farber, Michael (18 February 1980). "Ingemar Stenmark seeks fast way down - and out". Montreal Gazette. p. 18.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Johnson, William Oscar (13 February 1978). "Whipping the cream of the crop". Sports Illustrated: 22.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Montgomery, Paul L. (10 January 1988). "Stenmark, at 31, is proving he can still tack slalom". New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  4. "Steve Mahre takes giant slalom gold at World Alpine Ski Championship". Bend (OR) Bulletin. UPI. 3 February 1982. p. D3.
  5. Dobbin, Winsor (4 February 1982). "Steve Mahre steps from shadow". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. 27.
  6. Johnson, William Oscar (13 February 1982). "One Mahre time for America". Sports Illustrated: 22.
  7. "Stenmark takes gold". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 8 February 1982. p. 17.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Stenmark ruled ineligible to ski in Winter Olympics". Eugene Register-Guard. 29 October 1983. p. 3C.
  9. "Ski stars banned from Olympics". Ottawa Citizen. Reuters. 26 November 1983. p. 71.
  10. "Ruling slaps Stenmark". Bend (OR) Bulletin. UPI. 7 November 1983. p. D-4.
  11. "Winter Olympics will take place without three alpine skiers". Palm Beach Post. wire services. 25 January 1984. p. D4.
  12. "Stenmark, Girardelli cleared to compete". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 11 December 1987. p. 39.
  13. "Skiing: Stenmark retires". Lewiston (ME) Daily Sun. Associated Press. 11 March 1989. p. 22.
  14. "Swedish Superstars". The Superstars. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  15. Engman, Pascal (4 February 2015). "Ingemar Stenmarks tuffa start i Let's dance" [Ingmar Stenmark's tough start in Let's dance]. www.expressen.se. Expressen. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  16. "Stenmark marries airline hostess". Evening News (Newburgh-Beacon, NY). Associated Press. 10 September 1984. p. 4B.
  17. "Stenmark finds skiing fun again". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. 22 November 1986. p. 9C.

External links

Media related to Ingemar Stenmark at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Björn Borg
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
1975
Succeeded by
Anders Gärderud & Bernt Johansson
Preceded by
Frank Andersson
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal with Björn Borg
1978
Succeeded by
Malmö FF