Patrick Russel is a former Alpine ski racer

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

 and World Cup champion who raced for France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. He specialized in the technical disclipines (giant slalom

Giant Slalom skiing

Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....

 and slalom

Slalom skiing

Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...

) and won three discipline championships in the World Cup: slalom

Slalom skiing

Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...

 in 1969

1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...

 and 1970

1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....

 and giant slalom

Giant Slalom skiing

Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....

 in 1971

1971 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 5th World Cup season began in December 1970 in Italy and concluded in March 1971 in Sweden. Gustav Thöni of Italy won the first of his three consecutive overall titles...

. He also won two silver medals in slalom and combined

Alpine skiing combined

Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...

 at the 1970 World Championships

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 were held in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy, from February 8-15, 1970.For the only time, results from the World Championships were included in the World Cup points standings, then in its fourth season.-External links:...

 at Val Gardena, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

Career

Russel was the son of Lee Russel, who was a marketing executive at the French ski manufacturer Rossignol

Rossignol

Rossignol is a French word meaning nightingale. It may also refer to:People* The Rossignols, a family of French cryptographers* André Rossignol* Felix Rossignol* Jean Antoine Rossignol* Jim Rossignol* Jules Rossignol* Michelle Rossignol...

. He competed on the World Cup circuit from 1968 through 1972 and became the first male to win World Cup races in three straight years (1968–70) and in four straight years (1968–71). Overall, he won 13 World Cup races and achieved 26 podiums during his career, as well as three discipline championships (slalom

Slalom skiing

Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...

 in 1969

1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...

 and 1970

1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....

; giant slalom

Giant Slalom skiing

Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....

 in 1971

1971 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 5th World Cup season began in December 1970 in Italy and concluded in March 1971 in Sweden. Gustav Thöni of Italy won the first of his three consecutive overall titles...

) and two World Championship silver medals in 1970

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 were held in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy, from February 8-15, 1970.For the only time, results from the World Championships were included in the World Cup points standings, then in its fourth season.-External links:...

. In 1970, he finished second overall in the World Cup behind Karl Schranz

Karl Schranz

Karl Schranz is a former champion alpine ski racer, one of the best in the 1960s.During his lengthy career , Schranz won twenty major downhills, many major giant slalom races and several major slaloms...

, and in 1971 he was third overall behind Gustav Thöni

Gustav Thöni

Gustav Thöni is a former champion alpine ski racer from northern Italy.-Career:...

.

In 1972, however, he broke his leg during a giant slalom in Berchtesgarten, West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

 three weeks before the Winter Olympics

1972 Winter Olympics

The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...

 and was unable to compete for the remainder of the season. After the French men failed to medal during the Olympics, the French ski coach was replaced, and the new coach fired French stars Russel, Henri Duvillard

Henri Duvillard

Henri Duvillard is a French former alpine ski racer. He is one of just seven men to win World Cup races in every discipline contested at the time....

 and Jean-Noël Augert

Jean-Noël Augert

Jean-Noël Augert is a French former alpine skier.Augert was born in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and grew at the La Toussuire ski resort, Savoy. he debuted in the Alpine Skiing World Cup with a victory, at the Adelboden giant slalom...

 from the World Cup team at the start of 1973. All three skiers then turned professional and competed in the United States until their retirements.

After his retirement from competition, Russel became a ski instructor in France at Les Arcs

Les Arcs

Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino...

.

Season titles

Season	Discipline
1969 1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...	Slalom
1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Slalom
1971 1971 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 5th World Cup season began in December 1970 in Italy and concluded in March 1971 in Sweden. Gustav Thöni of Italy won the first of his three consecutive overall titles...	Giant slalom

Individual victories

13 total wins
(9 slalom, 4 giant slalom)

Date	Location	Race
25 February 1968 1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup The second World Cup season began in January in West Germany and concluded in April in the U.S. Jean-Claude Killy of France repeated as the overall champion, and announced his retirement from World Cup competition. Nancy Greene of Canada repeated as the women's World Cup overall champion.For the...	Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...	Slalom
1 March 1968 1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup The second World Cup season began in January in West Germany and concluded in April in the U.S. Jean-Claude Killy of France repeated as the overall champion, and announced his retirement from World Cup competition. Nancy Greene of Canada repeated as the women's World Cup overall champion.For the...	Kranjska Gora Kranjska Gora Kranjska Gora is a town and a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders.Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps...	Slalom
19 January 1969 1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...	Kitzbühel Kitzbühel -Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...	Slalom
9 February 1969 1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...	Åre Åre (ski area) Åre is an alpine ski area in Sweden, founded in 1909. It is located in Åre Municipality, Jämtland, just outside and above the village of Åre, approximately 80 km from the city of Östersund. The ski lift system is on the Åreskutan mountain, at an elevation of 1420 meters ; its absolute summit...	Slalom
20 December 1969 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Lienz Lienz Lienz is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of Patriasdorf.-Geography:...	Giant slalom
11 January 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Wengen Wengen Wengen may refer to:*Wengen, a village and winter resort in Switzerland*La Val, a commune in South Tyrol, Italy with the German name "Wengen"*in Germany:**Wengen , a village in the municipality of Nennslingen in Mittelfranken...	Slalom
18 January 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Kitzbühel Kitzbühel -Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...	Slalom
25 February 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Megève Megève Megève is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Megève is a famous ski resort near the Mont-Blanc in the French Alps...	Slalom
8 March 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Heavenly Valley	Giant slalom
15 March 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....	Voss Voss is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen....	Slalom
17 December 1970 1971 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 5th World Cup season began in December 1970 in Italy and concluded in March 1971 in Sweden. Gustav Thöni of Italy won the first of his three consecutive overall titles...	Val-d'Isère	Giant slalom
18 January 1971 1971 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 5th World Cup season began in December 1970 in Italy and concluded in March 1971 in Sweden. Gustav Thöni of Italy won the first of his three consecutive overall titles...	Adelboden Adelboden Adelboden is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.-Geography:Adelboden lies in the west of the Berner Oberland, at the end of the valley of the Engstlige river, which flows in Frutigen into the Kander river.Adelboden is a...	Giant slalom
14 February 1971	Mont St. Anne Mont-Sainte-Anne Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in the city of Beaupré, Quebec, Canada, located about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain has a summit elevation of 800 metres above sea level and a vertical drop of 625 m . There are 66 trails covering on three different sides of the mountain...	Slalom

External links