Italian ski pioneer dies

As the Italian winter sports association FISI announced, Seghi died on Wednesday at the age of 102. She was one of the first female alpine skiers in Italy, made a name for herself in the pre-war period and became a legend by the end of her career. Until the end, Seghi, who dominated the domestic sport in the 40s, was viewed as an icon.

Seghi was born on March 6th in Abetone and, at the age of 14, won one of her 37 medals at the Italian Championships (25 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze). At the international level, Seghi first attracted attention at the World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1941 when she won the gold medal in the slalom. She also won the silver medal in the downhill and combined. Because only a few nations took part in the title fights due to the political circumstances, Seghi lost her medals after the end of the war.

Celina Seghi in 2005. © ANSA / LUCA CASTELLANI

Since there was no Ski World Cup during Seghi's active time, other competitions, such as the Arlberg-Kandahar races, were at the top of the athletes' agenda. Seghi won numerous titles both in Mürren in 1947 and in Chamonix the following year and traveled to the Olympic Games in St. Moritz in 1948 as the favorite. However, she did not live up to her role there: she narrowly missed out on precious metal in fourth place twice. In 1952 in Oslo she came fourth again in the slalom, but this did not harm her high reputation in the ski scene. Not least because two years earlier she won the international medal she had hoped for at the World Championships in Aspen. She came third in the slalom.

Throughout her life, Seghi, who became a ski instructor after retiring and continued to practice her beloved sport well into old age, remained very popular in her homeland. In 2006 she took part in the torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Turin in Pisa as a guest of honor.

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Italian ski pioneer dies

The Italian winter sports scene is in mourning: Celina Seghi, one of the most important figures in the Italian skiing panorama, died in Pistoia (Tuscany) on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

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