Quick Facts
LibraBiography
Didier Défago (born 2 October 1977) is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland.
Born in Morgins, Valais, Défago made his World Cup debut at age 18 in March 1996, and was Swiss national champion in downhill (2003) and Giant slalom (2004). At the 2010 Winter Olympics, he won the downhill at Whistler to become the Olympic champion.
Défago finished the 2005 World Cup season as sixth overall and fourth in the Super-G, his most successful season so far. In 2009 he won two downhill races in a row, the classics at Wengen and Kitzbühel. He was the first to win these in consecutive weeks since Stephan Eberharter in 2002, and the first Swiss racer since Franz Heinzer in 1992.
While training on a glacier above Zermatt in mid-September 2010, Defago fell and injured ligaments in his left knee, ending his 2011 season.
Défago announced his retirement on March 18, 2015, after a second-place finish at the World Cup finals in the downhill in Méribel, France. Défago had his final World Cup race the next day in the super-G.
World Cup results
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 18 | 126 | — | — | 38 | — | — |
| 1997 | 19 | ||||||
| 1998 | 20 | 138 | — | 54 | — | — | — |
| 1999 | 21 | 93 | — | — | 29 | — | — |
| 2000 | 22 | 27 | — | 15 | 16 | 39 | — |
| 2001 | 23 | 24 | — | 23 | 13 | 17 | — |
| 2002 | 24 | 14 | — | 13 | 7 | 34 | 7 |
| 2003 | 25 | 11 | 53 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 7 |
| 2004 | 26 | 32 | — | 31 | 26 | 21 | 13 |
| 2005 | 27 | 6 | — | 14 | 4 | 15 | 3 |
| 2006 | 28 | 15 | 52 | 21 | 22 | 9 | 9 |
| 2007 | 29 | 14 | 61 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 15 |
| 2008 | 30 | 9 | — | 18 | 4 | 9 | 21 |
| 2009 | 31 | 6 | — | 20 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| 2010 | 32 | 12 | — | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| 2011 | 33 | ||||||
| 2012 | 34 | 18 | — | 17 | 19 | 13 | 23 |
| 2013 | 35 | 30 | — | 19 | 26 | 29 | — |
| 2014 | 36 | 19 | — | 36 | 6 | 16 | — |
| 2015 | 37 | 18 | — | — | 7 | 13 | — |
Race podiums
- 5 wins – (3 DH, 2 SG)
- 16 podiums – (5 DH, 7 SG, 3 SC, 1 GS)
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 03 Mar 2002 | Kvitfjell, Norway | Super-G | 2nd |
| 2003 | 20 Dec 2002 | Val Gardena, Italy | Super-G | 1st |
| 26 Jan 2003 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Combined | 3rd | |
| 2005 | 14 Jan 2005 | Wengen, Switzerland | Combined | 3rd |
| 20 Feb 2005 | Garmisch, Germany | Super-G | 2nd | |
| 06 Mar 2005 | Kvitfjell, Norway | Super-G | 2nd | |
| 2007 | 17 Dec 2006 | Alta Badia, Italy | Giant Slalom | 3rd |
| 2008 | 13 Mar 2008 | Bormio, Italy | Super-G | 2nd |
| 2009 | 19 Dec 2008 | Val Gardena, Italy | Super-G | 2nd |
| 17 Jan 2009 | Wengen, Switzerland | Downhill | 1st | |
| 24 Jan 2009 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 1st | |
| 2010 | 04 Dec 2009 | Beaver Creek, USA | Super Combined | 2nd |
| 29 Dec 2009 | Bormio, Italy | Downhill | 2nd | |
| 2012 | 29 Dec 2011 | Bormio, Italy | Downhill | 1st |
| 2014 | 26 Jan 2014 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Super-G | 1st |
| 2015 | 18 Mar 2015 | Méribel, France | Downhill | 2nd |
World Championship results
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 23 | — | — | 11 | — | — |
| 2003 | 25 | — | 22 | 21 | — | 7 |
| 2005 | 27 | — | 12 | 7 | 6 | 14 |
| 2007 | 29 | — | 13 | 17 | 10 | 4 |
| 2009 | 31 | — | 20 | 8 | DNF | — |
| 2011 | 33 | |||||
| 2013 | 35 | — | DNF2 | 26 | 8 | — |
| 2015 | 37 | — | — | 7 | 11 | — |
Olympic results
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 24 | — | 14 | 6 | 21 | DNF2 |
| 2006 | 28 | — | 14 | 16 | 26 | DNF2 |
| 2010 | 32 | — | — | 15 | 1 | DNF2 |
| 2014 | 36 | — | DNF1 | DNF | 14 | — |