Cult hero: Alberto Tomba

Tomba la Bomba, or Tomba the Bomb in English, certainly made an explosive impact on skiing in the 1980s and 90s, with three Olympic golds, two World Championships and nine World Cup titles. The flamboyant Italian made his World Cup debut in 1985 aged 19.

By The Newsroom

Published 21st Feb 2010, 23:29 BST

Updated 22nd Feb 2010, 00:06 BST

When he won the Giant Slalom for the second time in a row at 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, he suggested it should be renamed "Albertoville".

"I was pretending to be confident, saying that these were the Alberto-ville Olympics," Tomba later claimed, "but inside I wasn't at all sure, believe me."