On This Day: French skier Jean-Claude Killy wins third gold of Grenoble Winter Olympics despite opponent’s claim of sabotage

FEBRUARY 17, 1968: French Skier Jean-Claude Killy won his third gold medal at the Grenoble Olympics on this day in 1968 - after his main rival claimed he had been sabotaged.

Killy, who had grown up near the Chamrousse slopes, ensured he was the most successful athlete at the Games by winning all three Alpine skiing events.

But officials later described the 24-year-old’s final victory – in the slalom – as the 'greatest controversy in the history of the Winter Olympics'.

His leading opponent, Karl Schranz, claimed that a mysterious man in black crossed his path during his timed run and caused him to stop amid heavy fog.

TV cameras could not see the Austrian due to the poor visibility and the organisers allowed him to go again – in which he posted a faster time than the Frenchman.

But when judges again reviewed footage of the Schranz’s first run, they declared that he had missed a gate, annulled his repeat time and gave the gold to Killy.

Haakon Mjoen of Norway also went faster – but he was also disqualified after he was found to have missed a gate.

Killy’s other wins – the downhill and giant slalom, in which posts are placed further apart than the harder, traditional event - were also marred by controversy.

The Val d’Isere resident developed a trick of lifting himself before the start and using his powerful upper-body strength to propel himself over the line.

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This meant that he avoided a standing start like other skiers and enabled him to shave vital hundredths of seconds of his time.

Although judged not illegal, it was considered by many to be unsporting.

He was also criticised for his 'contempt' for amateurism by allegedly receiving illicit payments for flaunting trademarks post-race photographs.

It prompted Avery Brundage, the International Olympic Committee chief and a fierce opponent of professionalism, to snub all three Alpine skiing medal ceremonies.

Yet Killy – who was filmed practising for the Grenoble Games in a British Pathé newsreel – is remembered as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time.

He remains only the second man to win the Triple Crown of Alpine Skiing – the Olympic slalom, giant slalom and downhill – after Austria’s Tony Sailer in 1956.

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He also won the first two world cups before retiring from the sport in 1968 and becoming a commercial spokesman, trying his hand at car racing and even acting.

Killy, who married French actress Daniele Gaubert, returned to the skiing competition after taking part in the U.S. pro-circuit for two seasons, winning the 1973 title.

He was also the first man to ski down New Zealand’s Mount Ngauruhoe, which served as Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies.

He hit speeds of more than 100mph as he raced down the 35-degree eastern slope of the summit in New Zealand.

The daring star, who has helped organise a string of Winter Olympics, including Sochi, was not the only controversial athlete at the 1968 Games.

East Germany, which first allowed to compete at Grenoble, saw three of its women’s luge team disqualified for illegally heating their runners prior to each run.

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Grinoble, which saw Norway end the Soviet Union’s dominance for the first time in their Olympic history, were the second of three Winter Games to be held in France.

The others were staged at Chamonix in 1924 and Albertsville in 1992, which was the last time the Winter Olympics was held in the same year as the Summer Games.

The Summer Olympics have also twice been held in Paris, meaning France with five Games in total is the second most frequent host after America with eight.