Deborah Compagnoni

Deborah Compagnoni

• Former Italian Alpine skier who won three gold medals at three Winter Olympic events
• Suffered two successive setbacks that broke first her right, and then left knee
• Only Italian female skier to win the World Championship in giant slalom for two executive years
• The World Cup skiing track in Caterina Valfurva is named after her

Former Italian Alpine skier Deborah Compagnoni won three gold medals at three consecutive Winter Olympic events. Her remarkable journey started while skiing with the G.S. Forestale Club. Although she experienced major successes in her career, she has also suffered her share of setbacks.

Deborah Compagnoni celebrated her first major victory when winning the World Junior title in giant slalom. However, she broke her knee at the Val d’Isere downhill and decided to stop competing in downhill races. Despite this decision, she still managed to carve out an amazing career.

Deborah Compagnoni won her first World Cup in 1992. She went on to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics the same year. While participating in the giant slalom a day later, she destroyed her left knee.

After these two setbacks, Deborah Compagnoni decided to leave speed disciplines and confirmed herself as one of the world’s best slalom specialists. Her fragile knees may have hindered her ability to frequently participate, but for those events she did, she was always in the best of shape. In 1994, at the Lillehammer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the giant slalom. She repeated this feat four years later in Nagano. In 1998, however, she came in second, winning the silver medal in the slalom.

Deborah Compagnoni won the World Championship in giant slalom in 1996 and 1997. No Italian female skier has matched this feat. In total, she won sixteen races in the Alpine Skiing World Cup as well as the giant slalom World Cup.

Considered one of the best Italian female skiers of all time, Deborah Compagnoni is considered the equal of male champions, including Gustav Thöni and Alberto Tomba. In recognition of her feats, the World Cup skiing track in her native Caterina Valfurva has been named after her.

Deborah Compagnoni – Speaker

As a conference speaker, Deborah Compagnoni touches on the lessons learned throughout her career, harnessing setbacks, pushing boundaries, and remaining focused on your goals. She lives in Italy and speaks Italian.

Speaker Topics

• Motivation
• Adventure
• Risk-taking
• Determination
• Overcoming Obstacles
• Inspirational Life story