Richardson Viano

Last updated

Richardson Viano
Personal information
Born (2002-08-16) 16 August 2002 (age 22)
Tabarre, Ouest, Haiti
Occupation Alpine skier
Skiing career
Disciplines giant slalom, slalom
ClubSC Puy-Saint-Vincent
Olympics
Teams1 (2022)
World Championships
Teams2 (2021, 2023)
Medals0
World Cup
Seasons0
Wins0
Podiums0
Overall titles0
Discipline titles0

Richardson Viano (born 16 August 2002 in Tabarre [1] [2] ) is a French-Haitian alpine skier, competing in giant slalom and slalom.

Contents

Biography

Viano was born on 16 August 2002 in Croix-des-Missions  [ fr ] in Tabarre, Ouest, Haiti. [3] [4] He spent 18 months of his life in an Haitian orphanage. In December 2005, at three years of age he was adopted by an Italian couple living at Briançon in France. [5] [3] He was adopted alongside two girls from the same orphanage. [5] When his new adoptive parents, Andrea Viano and Silvia Grosso-Viano, drove Viano to his new home in the French Alps he was scared by the unfamiliar surroundings but intrigued by the snow, which he called "magic powder". [5] [6] His adoptive father was a ski instructor and Viano became interested in skiing. [5]

The president of the Haitian Ski Federation, Jean-Pierre Roy, who had competed for Haiti at the 2011 FIS World Ski Championships in Germany, called Viano to ask him to consider competing for his birth nation. Viano originally thought the call was a prank but took up the offer after researching Roy and the Federation online. Viano received a Haitian passport in Summer 2019 and his change of nationality was approved by the International Ski Federation that November. Viano competed for Haiti at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2021 in Italy, coming 35th and achieving enough points to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics. [5] He became Haiti's first Winter Olympic athlete. He placed 34th in the men's slalom and failed to complete the giant slalom. [7] Viano competed in the 2023 FIS Apline World Ski Champtionships in France and finished 38th in the men's giant slalom. [8] He skis for the SC Puy-St-Vincent club and speaks French and Italian. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Bojarski, Sam (4 February 2022). "Haitian-born skier Richardson Viano to compete at Winter Olympics in Beijing". Haitian Times. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  2. ↑ Legupeterson, Alexandre (11 February 2022). "Richardson Viano, content et serein, est prêt à représenter Haïti aux JO d'hiver" [Richardson Viano, happy and serene, is ready to represent Haiti at the Winter Olympics]. lenouvelliste.com (in French). Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Haiti - J.O. Beijing 2022 : D-24, The skier Richardson Viano will defend the colors of Haiti". HaitiLibre.com. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Richardson VIANO - Athlete Biography - Alpine Skiing". Federation International Ski and Snowboard. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Haiti's first Winter Olympian Richardson Viano seeks to inspire". Olympics.com. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Orphan rides 'magic powder' from Haiti to Winter Olympics". AP News. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Bumbaca, Chris. "Black Olympic skiers offer hope, share plans for more diverse future of Winter Games". USA Today. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Men's Giant Slalom Official Results" (PDF). FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2025.

Richardson Viano at FIS (alpine) Blue pencil.svg

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