Verena "Vreni" Schneider (born 26 November 1964) is a retired ski racer from Switzerland. She is the most successful alpine ski racer of her country, the fourth most successful female ski racer ever (after Lindsey Vonn, Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin) and was voted "Swiss Sportswoman of the Century".
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| Born | 26 November 1964 (age 59) Elm, Switzerland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Alpine skier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Skiing career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines | Technical Events | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SC Elm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1995 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 5 (3 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 6 (3 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 101 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editSchneider was born in Elm, the daughter of a shoemaker. Her mother died of cancer when Schneider was a teenager: as a result she put her ski career on hold and dropped out of school to look after the family home.[1]
Racing career
editSchneider made her World Cup debut at the age of 20.[1] Schneider won the overall alpine skiing World Cup three times and eleven discipline World Cups in Slalom and Giant slalom, along with 55 World Cup races (number four all-time among women to Moser-Pröll, Vonn and Shiffrin). She also won five medals at the Winter Olympics including 3 golds (Slalom and giant slalom at Calgary in 1988 and Slalom at Lillehammer in 1994), and six medals at the World Championships including 3 more golds (Giant slalom at Crans-Montana in 1987 and Vail in 1989; Slalom at Saalbach in 1991).[2]
During the 1988–89 season she won 14 World Cup races, a record for single season wins that stood until Shiffrin beat that record in the 2018–19 season.
In April 1995, after eleven successful seasons, she announced her retirement. Today she runs a ski and snowboard school in her home village of Elm as well as a sport equipment shop in Glarus.
Vreni Schneider is praised in the Half Man Half Biscuit song 'Uffington Wassail' thus: "Vreni Schneider – you’re my downhill lady! Vreni Schneider – you’re the queen of the slopes!" The song is on the album Trouble Over Bridgwater from the year 2000.
World Cup results
editSeason titles
edit- 14 titles – (3 overall, 6 Slalom, 5 Giant slalom)
|
Season |
| Discipline | |
| 1986 | Giant slalom |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Giant slalom |
| 1989 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| Giant slalom | |
| 1990 | Slalom |
| 1991 | Giant slalom |
| 1992 | Slalom |
| 1993 | Slalom |
| 1994 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| 1995 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| Giant slalom |
Season standings
edit| Season | |||||||
| Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | |
| 1985 | 20 | 9 | 22 | 3 | — | — | 17 |
| 1986 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 14 | — | 5 |
| 1987 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 2 |
| 1988 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 22 | — | 5 |
| 1989 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 | — | 3 |
| 1990 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 25 | — | — |
| 1991 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 1992 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1993 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 5 |
| 1995 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 23 | 2 |
Race victories
edit| Total | Slalom | Giant slalom | Downhill | Super-G | Combined | Parallel | |
| Wins | 55 | 34 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Podiums | 101 | 47 | 46 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Season | |||
| Date | Location | Discipline | |
| 1985 2 victories (2 GS) |
17 December 1984 |  Santa Caterina, Italy |
Giant slalom |
| 17 March 1985 |  Waterville Valley, USA |
Giant slalom | |
| 1986 3 victories (3 GS) |
6 January 1986 |  Maribor, Yugoslavia |
Giant slalom |
| 19 January 1986 |  Oberstaufen, Germany |
Giant slalom | |
| 20 March 1986 | Waterville Valley, USA |
Giant slalom | |
| 1987 6 victories (2 SL, 4 GS) |
6 December 1986 | Giant slalom | |
| 17 December 1986 | Courmayeur, Italy |
Slalom | |
| 5 January 1987 |  Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria |
Giant slalom | |
| 13 February 1987 |  Megève, France |
Giant slalom | |
| 14 February 1987 | Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France |
Slalom | |
| 22 March 1987 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia |
Giant slalom | |
| 1988 2 victories (1 SL, 1 GS) |
5 January 1988 | Tignes, France |
Giant slalom |
| 24 January 1988 | Bad Gastein, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 1989 14 victories (7 SL, 6 GS, 1 AC) |
28 November 1988 | Les Menuires, France |
Giant slalom |
| 16 December 1988 | Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria |
Slalom | |
| Combined | |||
| 18 December 1988 | Val Zoldana, Italy |
Giant slalom | |
| 20 December 1988 | Courmayeur, Italy |
Slalom | |
| 3 January 1989 | Maribor, Yugoslavia |
Slalom | |
| 6 January 1989 | Schwarzenberg, Austria |
Giant slalom | |
| 7 January 1989 | Giant slalom | ||
| 8 January 1989 | Mellau, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 15 January 1989 |  Grindelwald, Switzerland |
Slalom | |
| 21 January 1989 | Tignes, France |
Giant slalom | |
| 3 March 1989 |  Furano, Japan |
Slalom | |
| 8 March 1989 | Shigakogen, Japan |
Giant slalom | |
| 10 March 1989 | Slalom | ||
| 1990 5 victories (5 SL) |
25 November 1989 | Park City, USA |
Slalom |
| 6 January 1990 | Piancavallo, Italy |
Slalom | |
| 9 January 1990 | Hinterstoder, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 21 January 1990 | Maribor, Yugoslavia |
Slalom | |
| 18 March 1990 |  Åre, Sweden |
Slalom | |
| 1991 3 victories (1 SL, 2 GS) |
11 January 1991 | Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia |
Giant slalom |
| 11 March 1991 |  Lake Louise, Canada |
Slalom | |
| 17 March 1991 | Vail, USA |
Giant slalom | |
| 1992 5 victories (3 SL, 2 GS) |
30 November 1991 | Lech, Austria |
Slalom |
| 8 December 1991 | Santa Caterina, Italy |
Giant slalom | |
| 5 January 1992 | Oberstaufen, Germany |
Giant slalom | |
| 18 January 1992 |  Maribor, Slovenia |
Slalom | |
| 29 February 1992 |  Narvik, Norway |
Slalom | |
| 1993 4 victories (4 SL) |
6 January 1993 | Maribor, Slovenia |
Slalom |
| 17 January 1993 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
Slalom | |
| 19 March 1993 | Vemdalen, Sweden |
Slalom | |
| 28 March 1993 | Åre, Sweden |
Slalom | |
| 1994 7 victories (7 SL) |
28 November 1993 | Santa Caterina, Italy |
Slalom |
| 19 December 1993 | St. Anton, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 9 January 1994 | Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 23 January 1994 | Maribor, Slovenia |
Slalom | |
| 5 February 1994 |  Sierra Nevada, Spain |
Slalom | |
| 10 March 1994 | Mammoth Mountain, USA |
Slalom | |
| 20 March 1994 | Vail, USA |
Slalom | |
| 1995 4 victories (4 SL) |
27 November 1994 | Park City, USA |
Slalom |
| 18 December 1994 | Sestriere, Italy |
Slalom | |
| 26 February 1995 | Maribor, Slovenia |
Slalom | |
| 19 March 1995 | Bormio, Italy |
Slalom |
World Championship results
edit| Year | |||||||
| Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | Team Event | |
| 1985 | 20 | — | 12 | — | — | — | — |
| 1987 | 22 | — | 1 | 4 | — | 4 | — |
| 1989 | 24 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — |
| 1991 | 26 | 1 | 7 | — | — | 3 | — |
Olympic results
edit| Year | |||||||
| Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | Team Event | |
| 1988 | 23 | 1 | 1 | — | — | DNF2 | — |
| 1992 | 27 | 7 | DNF1 | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 29 | 1 | 3 | — | 33 | 2 | — |
References
edit- ^ a b Johnson, William Oscar (27 January 1988). "Smooth as Clockwork". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Vreni Schneider". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
External links
edit- Vreni Schneider at FIS (alpine)
- Vreni Schneider at Olympics.com
- Vreni Schneider at Olympedia
- Vreni Schneider at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
