Leonardo David

Leonardo David (27 September 1960 Gressoney-La-Trinité, Aosta Valley - 26 February 1985) was an Italian alpine skier who died of heart failure after 5 years in a coma caused by injuries he sustained in a crash during the Italian Championships. He complained extensively about head aches and, unbelievably, was essentially ignored by the Italian Ski Federation. At the pre-olympics in Lake Placid on 3 March 1979, he collapsed on the easiest part of the slope. David had won his first World Cup race a few days before his accident, and fell a few yards before the finish of race 29 of the men's downhill World Cup series. David finished the season in 11th place in the men's overall competition, with 85 points. A racing piste is named after his memory on Gressoney Saint Jean. The thing which set him apart from other skiers was an unusual style which featured "hops" between gates. Anyone watching footage of races in which Leonardo participated can easily recognize him by this new, and for him, highly successful style. It's fair to say that had he not had this unfortunate accident, David probably would have gone on to be one of the greatest Slalom skiers of all time. Lastly, it's important to note that Leonardo's father Davide David sued the Italian Ski Federation for negligence and won. He donated all the proceeds of the lawsuit and forced the resignation of many of the uppermost members of the Italian Ski Federation.

Today, Leonardo's parents run a small skishop at Gressoney and any visitor can drop by, see his skis, Italian skiteam posters on the shop roof showing Leonardo David, Piero Gros and Gustav Thöni among others, all his trophies on a shelf and lots of pictures. His mother keeps the shop as a little museum in memory of her beloved son. At the front wall of the Gressoney church, a memorial plaque stands to remain the story of Leonardo David, a former racer and loved son of the small alpine village.