Thomas Grandi
Encyclopedia
) is a retired Canadian alpine skier
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...
. He specialized in technical skiing giant slalom 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 :...
.
Skiing career
Grandi started in the Alpine Skiing World CupAlpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
in the 1992-93 season. His first top ten finish in the World Cup came in December 1996 where he finished in 10th position in the Giant Slalom in Alta Badia
Alta Badia
Alta Badia is a ski resort in the upper part of the Val Badia in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It is included in the territories of the municipalities' of Corvara, Badia and La Val. It is a regular stop on the World Cup schedule, usually by the men in mid-December...
, 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...
. In the 1997-98 World Cup season, he had his first top three finish when he finished in third place in a Giant Slalom race in Park City
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
.
Grandi's first wins in the World Cup both came in December 2004, when he won Giant Slaloms in Alta Badia and Flachau
Flachau
Flachau is a village in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Salzburg state, Austria, with a population of 2,639 . Its numerous skiing facilities are part of the Ski Amadé network of ski areas, the largest in Europe.- History :...
. The victory at Alta Badia made Grandi the first Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
male skier to win a World Cup technical race.
He participated at the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, finishing 12th place in the Giant Slalom and 16th place in the slalom. He also participated in the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
.
Following the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Grandi posted three successive top three finishes in World Cup slalom, moving his career total to 9 World Cup podiums, ranking 3rd amongst Canadian men.
In March 2007 after a 14-year career with the Canadian ski team to spend more time with family. In July 2008, Grandi announced his return to competitive skiing as he hopes to earn a podium finish at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. On March 16, 2009, Grandi decided his commitment to his family outweighed his desire to continue his competitive skiing career and announced his retirement once and for all.
Personal life
Grandi's wife is Canadian cross country skier Sara RennerSara Renner
Sara Renner is a Canadian cross-country skier who competed from 1994 to 2010. With Beckie Scott, she won the silver medal in the team sprint event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and earned her best individual finish of 8th in the 10 km classical event in those same games...
, who captured the silver medal in Turin 2006 Olympics in the team sprint with Beckie Scott.
World cup victories
| Date | Location | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 19 December 2004 |  Alta BadiaAlta Badia Alta Badia is a ski resort in the upper part of the Val Badia in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It is included in the territories of the municipalities' of Corvara, Badia and La Val. It is a regular stop on the World Cup schedule, usually by the men in mid-December... |
Giant Slalom |
| 21 December 2004 |  FlachauFlachau Flachau is a village in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Salzburg state, Austria, with a population of 2,639 . Its numerous skiing facilities are part of the Ski Amadé network of ski areas, the largest in Europe.- History :... |
Giant Slalom |