Silvio Fauner (born 1 November 1968 in

San Pietro di Cadore San Pietro di Cadore ( Ladin: ''San Pieru'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about north of Venice and about northeast of Belluno, on the border with Austria. San Pietro di Cad ...

, Province of Belluno) is an Italian former

cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

who competed from 1988 to 2006. His best known victory was part of the 4 × 10 km relay team that upset

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. He also won four other medals at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

with silvers in the 4 × 10 km relay (1992, 1998) and bronzes in the 15 km (1994) and 30 km (1998).

Biography

Fauner also won six medals at the

Nordic skiing World Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship eve ...

, including 1 gold (50 km: 1995), 2 silvers (10 km + 15 km combined pursuit: 1995, 4 × 10 km relay: 1993), and 3 bronzes (4 × 10 km relay: 1995, 1997, 1999). At the Opening Ceremony for the 2006 Winter Olympics in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

on February 10, he and his 4 × 10 km relay teammates (

Maurilio De Zolt Maurilio De Zolt (born 29 September 1950 in San Pietro di Cadore, Province of Belluno) is an Italian cross-country skier who competed internationally from 1977 to 1997. His best known victory was part of the 4 × 10 km relay team that upset ...

Marco Albarello Marco Albarello (born 31 May 1960) is an Italian cross-country skier who competed from 1982 to 2002. He was born in Aosta. His best known victory was part of the 4 × 10 km relay team that upset Norway at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lille ...

, and

Giorgio Vanzetta Giorgio Vanzetta (born 9 October 1959 in Cavalese) is an Italian former cross-country skier who competed from 1980 to 2002. His best known victory was part of the 4 × 10 km relay team that upset Norway at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lille ...

) who won the gold at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, were among the last carriers of the Olympic torch before it was lit by fellow Italian cross-country skier

Stefania Belmondo Stefania Belmondo (born 13 January 1969) is an Italian former cross-country skier, a two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion in her career. Biography Debut Belmondo was born in Vinadio, in the province of Cuneo (Piedmont), the d ...

. In May 2007, Fauner was named the head coach of the Italian national cross-country ski team, replacing his former ski-teammate Marco Albarello.

Doping allegations

The Swedish investigative television show ''

Uppdrag granskning ''Uppdrag granskning'' (English name: ''Mission: Investigate'') is a Swedish television program focusing on investigative journalism. The program is produced by and aired on SVT and has become known for the use of concealed cameras and microphone ...

'' claimed that Fauner had an exceptionally high hemoglobin level prior to a World Cup in Lahti in 1997. According to sources quoted in the documentary, Fauner had tested 19.2 g/dL. The test result was confirmed and signed by International Ski Federation (FIS) official Bengt-Erik Bengtsson. Currently the allowed limit to compete in official FIS competition is 17.0 g/dL. According to Bengt Saltin, former chairman of FIS medical committee, such an hemoglobin value is not possible to achieve without banned substances or blood doping.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

* 5 medals – (1, gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

World Championships

* 7 medals – (1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze)

World Cup

Season standings

Individual podiums

*3 victories *19 podiums

Team podiums

* 6 victories – (5 , 1 ) * 23 podiums – (21 , 2 ) Note: Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fauner, Silvio 1968 births Living people People from San Pietro di Cadore Italian male cross-country skiers Cross-country skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1994 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiing coaches Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing Cross-country skiers of Centro Sportivo Carabinieri FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Italy Olympic silver medalists for Italy Olympic bronze medalists for Italy Olympic cross-country skiers of Italy Sportspeople from the Province of Belluno