Thomas Fanara (born 24 April 1981) is a former French World Cup alpine ski racer.

Thomas Fanara
Fanara, c. 2009
Personal information
Born (1981-04-24) 24 April 1981 (age 43)
Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France
OccupationAlpine skier
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Skiing career
DisciplinesGiant slalom
ClubDouanes –
C.S. Praz-sur-Arly
World Cup debut11 January 2005 (age 23)
Retired16 March 2019 (age 37)
Olympics
Teams3 – (2006, 2014, 2018)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams6 – (200715, 2019)
Medals1 (1 gold)
World Cup
Seasons15 – (20052019)
Wins1 – (1 GS)
Podiums14 – (14 GS)
Overall titles0 – (23rd in 2016)
Discipline titles0 – (4th in GS, 2014)
Medal record
Men's alpine skiing
Representing  France
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Garmisch Team event

Born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, Fanara specialised in giant slalom; his only win came in March 2016 at the giant slalom finals in St. Moritz, Switzerland. He is the oldest racer to reach a World Cup podium in giant slalom, and competed for France at three Winter Olympics and six World Championships. He retired from competition at the end of the 2018–19 season.[1]

World Cup

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Fanara has started over 70 World cup races, mostly in giant slalom but also in slalom, and has been on the podium fourteen times.[2] For some time he held the record for most World Cup podium finishes without a win until his victory at the World Cup finals in St. Moritz in 2016.[1] In December 2007, he fell and hurt himself in the second run after winning the first run of a race in Bad Kleinkirchheim, but finished. Two years later in December 2009, Fanara incurred a season-ending injury to his left knee after a spectacular fall during a race in Beaver Creek,[3][4][5] two months before the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Following his World Cup win in St. Moritz, Fanara suffered an injury which kept him out of competition for the 2016–17 season. However, he subsequently made a successful return, taking a number of podium finished in his final season.[1]

Season standings

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Season Age Overall Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
2005 23 136 54
2006 24 59 18
2007 25 78 17
2008 26 83 25
2009 27 48 13
2010 28 138 50
2011 29 37 6
2012 30 48 12
2013 31 29 5
2014 32 29 4
2015 33 27 5
2016 34 23 6
2017 35 73 23
2018 36 60 18
2019 37 30 7
Standings through 24 February 2019

Race podiums

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  • 1 win – (1 GS)
  • 14 podiums – (14 GS)
Season Date Location Discipline Place
2011 19 Dec 2010   Alta Badia, Italy Giant slalom 3rd
8 Jan 2011     Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom 3rd
2013 16 Dec 2012   Alta Badia, Italy Giant slalom 3rd
2014 14 Dec 2013   Val-d'Isère, France   Giant slalom   2nd
12 Jan 2014     Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom 2nd
2015 21 Dec 2014   Alta Badia, Italy Giant slalom 3rd
14 Mar 2015   Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Giant slalom 3rd
21 Mar 2015   Méribel, France Giant slalom 3rd
2016 25 Oct 2015   Sölden, Austria Giant slalom 2nd
26 Feb 2016   Hinterstoder, Austria Giant slalom 3rd
19 Mar 2016     St. Moritz, Switzerland Giant slalom 1st
2019 16 Dec 2018   Alta Badia, Italy Giant slalom 2nd
12 Jan 2019     Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom 3rd
24 Feb 2019   Bansko, Bulgaria Giant slalom 3rd

World championships

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Fanara has competed in four World Championships in the giant slalom discipline. In 2007 in Åre, Sweden, he finished 16th, but on home country snow in 2009 in Val-d'Isère, France, he did not finish the first run. At Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, he finished sixth in 2011 but failed to finish the first run in 2013 at Schladming, Austria.[6] Fanara participated in the team event in 2011 at Garmisch and earned a gold medal.

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 slalom 
Super-G Downhill Combined
2007 25 16
2009 27 DNF1
2011 29 6
2013 31 DNF1
2015 33 DNF1
2017 35 Injured: did not compete
2019 37 DNF2

Olympics

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At the Winter Olympics, Fanara did not finish the first run of the giant slalom in 2006 and was injured two months prior the 2010 Games and did not compete.

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 slalom 
Super-G Downhill Combined
2006 24 DNF1
2010 28 injured, did not compete
2014 32 9
2018 36 5

National championships

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Fanara reached the podium of French national championships four times, all in giant slalom. In 2005 he was third; in 2006 he was second; and he won in 2007 and 2009.[2][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Vonn, Svindal and other athletes decide to retire after this season". International Ski Federation. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b Thomas Fanara at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
  3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgPOFmLLHIw Thomas Fanara Sturz Beaver Creek 06.12.2009
  4. ^ Assier, Andre (8 December 2009). "Alpine skiing – Injured Grange out of Winter Olympics". ESPN. Reuters. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  5. ^ McKee, Hank (10 December 2009). "Grange will miss Olympics". Ski Racing. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  6. ^ Race results at FIS-ski.com (World Championships
  7. ^ "JO Turin 2006 – Thomas Fanara" (in French). Skier profile on France's 2006 Olympics page
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