born Dec. 19, 1966, San Lazzaro di Savena, Italy
Italian Alpine skier.
Tomba was born near Bologna and learned to ski there. He won three Olympic gold medals (1988, slalom and giant slalom; 1992, giant slalom), one Alpine World Cup championship (1995), and two World Championship of Skiing gold medals (1996, slalom and giant slalom). He had no success at the 1998 Olympics but won a slalom event at the World Cup in March of that year and then retired from skiing. He achieved a level of fame unusual for an Alpine skier because of his flamboyance on and off the slopes.