Vreni Schneider

Verena ("Vreni") Schneider (born November 26 1964 in Elm) is a former ski racer from Switzerland. She is the most successful alpine ski racer of her country, the second most successful female ski racer ever (after Annemarie Moser-Pröll) and was elected "Swiss Sportswoman of the Century".

She 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 two all-time among women to Moser-Pröll). 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).

During the 1988–89 season she won 14 World Cup races. Nobody had ever achieved this before (the Swede Ingemar Stenmark once won 13 races), and her record has yet to be beaten since then.

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 victories

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Giant Slalom

External links

* [http://www.vrenischneider.ch Website of Vreni Schneider's ski school] de icon
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=73085 International Olympic Committee profile]
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/newsletter_full_story_uk.asp?id=2407 International Olympic Committee story]
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Persondata
NAME= Schneider, Vreni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Schneider, Verena
SHORT DESCRIPTION=ski racer from Switzerland
DATE OF BIRTH=November 26 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH=Elm, Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=