About
The Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics were the last Games to be staged in the same year as the Summer Games. In 1986 the IOC had decided to split the cycle of games. It was the third time France had hosted the Winter Olympics, and Jean-Claude Killy, the legendary triple gold medallist from Grenoble 1968 , served as chairman of the organising committee. Only 18 of the 57 events were held in Albertville itself, nearby ski resorts hosted the rest. Two new events were brought into the programme to thrill the crowds - freestyle skiing and short-track speed-skating.
Political changes in Europe since the last Winter Games had a profound effect on proceedings. Athletes from many of the new republics of the former Soviet Union competed as the Unified Team, and athletes from nations such as Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia proudly marched under their own flags for the first time. A recently-unified Germany dominated with 10 gold medals.
Norway were supreme in the men’s cross-country skiing, winning all five events. Björn Daehlie and Vegard Ulvang each won three gold medals – two individual titles each, and shared glory in the 4x10km relay. In women’s cross-country, the star was the Unified Team’s Lyubov Yegorova who won five medals – three gold and two silver – from five events. Alpine skiing was swept by “Tombamania” as Italians fans roared for their idol, Alberto “La Bomba” Tomba, as he sped through the gates to take gold in the giant slalom, thus becoming the first alpine skier to win the same event twice.
Team GB
Britain’s athletes endured a largely unproductive time in Albertville, although some performances offered signs of encouragement for Lillehammer two years later. Michael Dixon, who had achieved Britain’s best ever finish of 13th in the biathlon in Calgary, went one better in Albertville , and besides the eventual winner was the only man not to drop any penalty points. Wilf O’Reilly recorded Britain’s highest finish of the Games, 5th in the new sport short-track speed-skating, but as reigning world champion he'd hoped for a medal.Elsewhere, Mark Tout and Lennie Paul raced to sixth in the two-man bobsleigh, the best British finish since Tony Nash and Robin Dixon won the event in 1964.