# Leonardo David

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Italian alpine skier

Leonardo David Personal information Born (1960-09-27)27 September 1960 Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Aosta Valley, Italy Died 26 February 1985(1985-02-26) (aged 24) Gressoney-La-Trinité, Aosta Valley, Italy Skiing career Sport Alpine skiing Disciplines Slalom, giant slalom, downhill World Cup debut 1978 Olympics Teams 0 World Championships Teams 0 World Cup Seasons 1 – (1979) Wins 1 – (1 SL) Podiums 4 – (1 GS, 3 SL) Overall titles 0 – (11th in 1979) Discipline titles 0 – (8th in SL, 1979)

**Leonardo David** (27 September 1960[1] – 26 February 1985) was a [World Cup](/source/FIS_Alpine_Ski_World_Cup) [alpine ski racer](/source/Alpine_skiing) from [northwestern](/source/Northwest_Italy) [Italy](/source/Italy).

## Biography

Born in [Gressoney-Saint-Jean](/source/Gressoney-Saint-Jean), [Aosta Valley](/source/Aosta_Valley), he died of [heart failure](/source/Heart_failure) in [Gressoney-La-Trinité](/source/Gressoney-La-Trinit%C3%A9) after nearly six years in a [coma](/source/Coma), caused by injuries he sustained in a fall near [Lake Placid](/source/Lake_Placid%2C_New_York), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)), on 3 March [1979](/source/1979_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup).[2][3][4]

David fell a few meters before the finish of the pre-[Olympic](/source/Alpine_skiing_at_the_1980_Winter_Olympics) [downhill](/source/Downhill_(ski_competition)) at [Whiteface Mountain](/source/Whiteface_Mountain). He slid mostly on his back and his skis remained on. After coming to a stop, David arose and skied over to his coach, bent down to remove his skis, and collapsed. He was airlifted by military helicopter to [Burlington, Vermont](/source/Burlington%2C_Vermont),[5] where surgeons removed a blood clot in his brain.[2]

He had fallen two weeks earlier, in the downhill race of the Italian national championships at [Cortina d'Ampezzo](/source/Cortina_d'Ampezzo), and a friend reported David had complained of ongoing headaches since.[6] He had been examined by a [neurosurgeon](/source/Neurosurgery),[7] but was allowed to join the Italian team for the conclusion of the World Cup season in North America and Japan.[8]

Then age 18, David was a promising talent on the Italian team, in his first year on the World Cup circuit. He won the overall and slalom titles of the European Cup in 1978, and placed second in giant slalom. He won his only World Cup race, a slalom in [Oslo](/source/Oslo), less than a month before his accident, outpacing [Ingemar Stenmark](/source/Ingemar_Stenmark) and [Phil Mahre](/source/Phil_Mahre).[9][10] David had 10 top ten finishes with four podiums during the [1979](/source/1979_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup) World Cup season, and finished in 11th place in the overall standings with 85 points.

After nearly three months in a coma in Burlington,[5] David was flown to Italy on a special U.S. military transport in late May, and hospitalized in [Novara](/source/Novara).[11] In late July, David was flown to [Innsbruck](/source/Innsbruck), [Austria](/source/Austria),[12][13] for intensified treatment and was thought to be emerging from the coma in September.[14] More than three years later, he was taken to [Leningrad](/source/Saint_Petersburg) (St. Petersburg) in the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) for a last-ditch effort to revive him in December 1982.[15] He died at home in February 1985 of an apparent heart attack.[4] In 1990, three physicians were indicted on manslaughter charges in Italy on the grounds that David should not have been allowed to compete after his fall at Cortina d'Ampezzo.[7]

David's parents run a small ski shop at Gressoney and it is kept as a small museum in memory of their son. Visitors can see his skis, Italian ski team posters on the shop roof showing him, with [Piero Gros](/source/Piero_Gros), and [Gustav Thöni](/source/Gustav_Th%C3%B6ni) among others, all his trophies and some pictures. At the front wall of the parish church in Gressoney-Saint-Jean a memorial plaque is dedicated to David, and a racing [piste](/source/Piste) is named after him in [Gressoney Saint Jean](/source/Gressoney-Saint-Jean).[16]

## World Cup results

### Season standings

Season Age Overall Slalom Giant Slalom Super G Downhill Combined 1979 18 11 8 15 not run — —

- Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see [scoring system](/source/FIS_Alpine_Ski_World_Cup#Scoring_system)).

### Race podiums

- 1 win (1 [SL](/source/Slalom_skiing))

- 4 podiums (1 [GS](/source/Giant_slalom), 3 SL), 10 top tens (5 GS, 5 SL)

Season Date Location Discipline Place 1979 9 Dec 1978 Schladming, Austria Giant slalom 3rd 21 Dec 1978 Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Slalom 3rd 5 Feb 1979 Jasná, Czechoslovakia Slalom 2nd 7 Feb 1979 Oslo, Norway Slalom 1st

## Video

- [Racing footage of Leonardo David, including final fall](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkoY3P6-et0) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube_video_(identifier))

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-fis_1-0)** [Leonardo David](https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=AL&competitorid=12474&type=result) at the [International Ski and Snowboard Federation](/source/International_Ski_and_Snowboard_Federation)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-aswiri_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-aswiri_2-1) ["Austrian skier wins; Italian racer injured"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rYwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JecFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6592%2C414035). *Lawrence Journal-World*. Associated Press. March 4, 1979. p. 5B.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nytcma_3-0)** ["Italian skier hurt in '79 fall dies after 5 years in coma"](https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/28/sports/italian-skier-hurt-in-79-fall-dies-after-5-years-in-coma.html). *New York Times*. UPI. February 28, 1985. Retrieved January 30, 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sdsyac_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sdsyac_4-1) ["Skier dies six years after crash"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JIoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sKUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1232%2C3327902). *Montreal Gazette*. Associated Press. Feb 28, 1985. p. E-5.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-fwkstic_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-fwkstic_5-1) ["Italian skier still in coma"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zc5aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QXwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1850%2C6475487). *St Petersburg Times*. March 31, 1979. p. 9C.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sialp_6-0)** ["Skier injured at Lake Placid"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=emEaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mSkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5374%2C1560913). *Milwaukee Journal*. AP and UPI. March 4, 1979. p. 10.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-threemd_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-threemd_7-1) ["3 doctors indicted"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T0lOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_BMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2904%2C5547321). *Wilmington (NC) Morning Star*. August 29, 1990. p. 2B.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ptpisd_8-0)** ["Panel to probe Italian skier's death"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oY9TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pYYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6851%2C4544258). *Bend (OR) Bulletin*. UPI. November 24, 1985. p. E-7.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-idslwn_9-0)** ["Italy's David slalom winner"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Cr4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T-4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2851%2C2004360). *Ottawa Citizen*. UPI. February 8, 1979. p. 24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-iycs_10-0)** ["Italian youth captures slalom"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GwY1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=S08KAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963%2C2706894). *Bangor (ME) Daily News*. UPI. p. 20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-itsinh_11-0)** ["Italian skier, still in coma, now home"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JIgwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TOAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3291%2C8446418). *Schenectady Gazette*. Associated Press. May 24, 1979. p. 43.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-edrcdsm_12-0)** ["Skier moved"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZVhUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4Y4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4639%2C1746822). *Ellensburg Daily Record*. UPI. July 26, 1979. p. 9.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-idsrmd_13-0)** ["Injured skier moved"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pccsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2573%2C241420). *Wilmington (NC) Morning Star*. August 1, 1979. p. 4C.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sptout_14-0)** ["Skier coming out of coma"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m1sxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eaQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4485%2C2035732). *Montreal Gazette*. Reuters. September 22, 1979. p. 10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-stpete_15-0)** ["Skier still in coma"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0QowAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PKUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6091%2C2816518). *Montreal Gazette*. [AFP](/source/Agence_France-Presse). December 16, 1982. p. D12.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["…dal 1959 : la storia di David Sport"](http://www.dmsistemi.it/davidsport/storia/). *David Spaort*. Retrieved 4 August 2017.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Leonardo David](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Leonardo_David).

- [Leonardo David](https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=AL&competitorid=12474) at [FIS](/source/International_Ski_and_Snowboard_Federation) (alpine)

- [Leonardo David](https://intersportstats.com/athletes/2000011213) at InterSportStats

- [Leonardo David](https://www.ski-db.com/db/profiles/leonardo_david_ita_dvdle.php) at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database

- [Sport Vintage](http://www.sportvintage.it/2009/06/16/leonardo-david-discesa-in-paradiso/) – Leonardo David – *(in Italian)*

v t e FIS Alpine Ski Europa Cup – Men's overall winners 1972: Ilario Pegorari 1973: Fausto Radici 1974: Christian Witt-Dörring 1975: Diego Amplatz 1976: Bruno Confortola 1977: Petar Popangelov 1978: Leonardo David 1979: Jarle Halsnes 1980: Siegfried Kerschbaumer 1981: Ernst Riedlsperger 1982: Hubert Strolz 1983: Bill Johnson 1984: Dietmar Köhlbichler 1985: Luc Genolet 1986: Rudolf Nierlich 1987: Helmut Mayer 1988: Konrad Walk 1989: Stephan Eberharter 1990: Christian Polig 1991: Tobias Barnerssoi / Markus Eberle 1992: Marcel Sulliger 1993: Marcel Sulliger 1994: Patrick Staub 1995: Andreas Schifferer 1996: Hermann Maier 1997: Stephan Eberharter 1998: Benjamin Raich 1999: Michael Walchhofer 2000: Christoph Gruber 2001: Ambrosi Hoffmann 2002: Martin Marinac 2003: Norbert Holzknecht 2004: Matthias Lanzinger 2005: Kjetil Jansrud / Hannes Reichelt 2006: Michael Gufler 2007: Peter Struger 2008: Marcel Hirscher 2009: Florian Scheiber 2010: Christian Spescha 2011: Alexis Pinturault 2012: Florian Scheiber 2013: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde 2014: Thomas Tumler 2015: Riccardo Tonetti 2016: Bjørnar Neteland 2017: Gilles Roulin 2018: Johannes Strolz 2019: Simon Maurberger 2020: Atle Lie McGrath 2021: Maximilian Lahnsteiner 2022: Giovanni Franzoni 2023: Josua Mettler 2024: Manuel Traninger 2025: Oscar Andreas Sandvik 2026: Lenz Hächler

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Leonardo David](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_David) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_David?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.