Nicknamed the "crazy skier" for having clocked up 160 km/h on the slopes at Mont Cervin, the Italian Zeno Colo won the gold for the downhill event at the 1952 Oslo games. He was 32 at the time, and had been chasing a victory such as this for some time, having already won three world titles in downhill and slalom. A good all-round skier, Zeno Colo undoubtedly defined modern skiing as we know it