Giant Slalom, Men

This was the last Olympic giant slalom to be held as a single race for men, as from 1968, there would be two runs for the men. The women would continue to compete on a single run until 1980, when their event was also expanded to two runs. The favorite was Egon Zimmermann, who only three days before had won gold in the downhill, and was the defending World Champion. His biggest competition was expected to come from his teammate, Karl Schranz, runner-up in the event at the 1962 Worlds, and World Champion in the downhill and combined. A third Austrian, Pepi Stiegler, silver medalist at Squaw Valley, was the first starter and posted a time of 1:48.05, which eventually won him the bronze medal. The second skier was François Bonlieu, a veteran of the French ski team even though he was only 26, having won a silver medal at the 1954 World Championships in the slalom when he was only 16. Bonlieu had also won a bronze in the event at the 1958 Worlds, and his run in Innsbruck enabled him to take the lead, with 1:46.71. Karl Schranz was the last skier off among the seeded racers, starting 15th. He skied well, besting Stiegler for silver, but not overcome Bonlieu’s time, which won the gold medal. Bonlieu later worked as a mountain guide, and would be murdered on the boardwalk in Cannes after an argument.