Vreni Schneider chats from the sewing box in blue Talk. Also about her relationship with Alberto Tomba. She raves about the former superstar and reveals the Italian charmer's big party trick.
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- Vreni Schneider from Elm and the Italian Alberto Tomba were the big ski stars of the late 80s and early 90s.
- In the Olympic talk "Legends for eternity", Schneider recalls the exciting time with "Tomba La Bomba" in the World Cup and talks refreshingly openly and with a lot of humor about her relationship with Tomba.
- In addition, "Gold-Vreni" reveals the Italian bon vivant's exit trick. "Alberto was a fox."
He was "Tomba la Bomba", the Italian charmer who was admired by so many for his ease and coolness. Alberto Tomba, the now 59-year-old world-class skier, had many an affair - and was rumored to have had even more. He was also the subject of one or two rumors about Vreni Schneider. When the now 61-year-old triple Olympic champion from Elm is asked about this in the "Legends for Eternity" talk, she immediately laughs. "Nothing happened there. But I admired Alberto." And yes: "He was a dream man."
Despite liking each other, they probably wouldn't have been a good match, says Schneider. She laughs and says: "He was a bon vivant. I was more reserved, from the mountains, I had my simple life. He wouldn't have been happy in Elm and I wouldn't have joined him in Bologna. Never."
"I'll get the second gold medal then..."
The two were in regular contact. After all, they both worked for the same ski company, Rossignol. "He always congratulated me and told me I was doing well." However, they were never together, as it was said from time to time, adds Schneider.
Schneider still remembers one very special episode with the Italian. When she posed for photos with her two gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, there was a break in the men's slalom. Tomba, who had won the giant slalom two days earlier, was only in third place after the first run - behind the German Frank Wörndl and the Swede Jonas Nilsson. When Tomba saw the photo shoot, he joined in and wanted to be in the picture, says Schneider. "The people from Rossignol and the photographers freaked out that he wanted to pose for photos between the two runs."
But Tomba went one better. "He had only won one gold medal by then and wanted to hang a second gold around his neck. He said: 'I'll get the second one later'. That's Alberto." And he did get it.
Vreni Schneider reveals Tomba's exit trick
She would never have dared to do something like that, Schneider affirms. "We might have thought about a gold medal, but we would never have said that we would win it. Only Alberto could do that."
However, the 1995 overall World Cup winner from Bologna was far more serious than his reputation suggested. "Alberto was a fox." He didn't blindly throw himself into the nightlife, says Schneider. "He went to bed and set his alarm clock for one o'clock. Then he went to a few bars to show himself to the fans and journalists, and left again after an hour." I guess that's what you call image cultivation.
It was rumored that the Italian was lazy in training and didn't do more than necessary, Schneider recalls. "Alberto trained brutally. He was often on the slopes at five in the morning, usually on the Stelvio, and did his runs. Probably more than anyone else." His successes - 50 World Cup victories, overall World Cup victory, three-time Olympic champion, two-time world champion - would not have been possible otherwise. "Alberto wouldn't have managed it otherwise either," says Schneider.
At least he managed to keep many fans believing that.
