Jean Claude Killy - retiring at age 24
It's difficult
Photographs by Paul G Ryan
I’ve recently read a few stories about athletes retiring .. retiring near their peak.
Roger Federer, Serena Williams …or Tom Brady retiring, then coming back to the Buccaneers at age 45
It reminded me of my experience with Jean Claude Killy in 1969.
He had just won the three gold medals in Alpine skiing at the Grenoble Olympics. That was all there were then, it was a clean sweep. For the first time in 12 years. He was 24 years old.
I was photographing there for SKI magazine.
At the time, amateurism was, for better of worse, strictly enforced so that racers could not derive any money for their efforts, no endorsements. Killy of course had many opportunities.
He was a handsome Olympic athlete, now world famous. This was his time. Mark McCormack, the founding agent from ICM was there with an open checkbook. There was no pro race circuit of consequence. So For Killy, his choice was either to race on next season’s World Cup circuit, for no financial reward, or give up ski racing and cash in now with endorsements.
He chose the latter.
And it happened the next year, I was finishing a film for Lange Ski Boots, the leading ski boot maker at that time and Bob Lange had just signed Killy and arranged to have me film him and Dumeng Giovanoli skiing in some Swiss Glaciers for three days.
It was an adventure. We helicoptered amongst the 12,000 foot peaks and untracked spring snow. We got one afternoon of filming, and then the fog set in for the next two days. So we all sat in the hut and drank Dinkelacker beer. No skiing. I suspect McCormack had dictated that Killy was not to stay any longer, though I believe he would have liked to..
At any rate, when we were finished, he casually asked if I wanted to visit his home in Val d’Isere…. Of course.
It was relaxed and enjoyable No filming. I met his father and his friends. Jean Claude was a hero in a small French Village. But he was still a local.
It happened that several of his motorcycle friends were in town, and I was invited to join on a day of off road riding. Jean Claude lent me one of his Bultaco motocross cycles. We had a day of relaxed but challenging riding. I for once, compared to skiing, felt we were close to the same level.
That night, Jean Claude, Leo Lecroix and I were having after dinner drinks of Chartreuse at the restaurant when Jean Claude became strangely quiet, introspective. Then he said, “You know, it’s difficult, very difficult…..” I was uncertain for a moment, then, “You prepare your whole life, from childhood, for something …you work with great difficulty, suffer injury, recover, and work some more. And then finally when you achieve your dream, I’m still young, 24… I have to quit… It’s difficult ….”
He was of course referring to the economic necessity for him to no longer compete at the top level of alpine ski racing. Any ski racing. There was no professional racing then. He was the acknowledged best ski racer in the world, and at age 24, he had to “retire”, deprived of what gave him his greatest sense of achievement. For all the celebration at this point in his life, there was a bitter taste inside.
It seemed unfortunate.
foreboding…
Such accomplishments you also have achieved . Paul