Kjetil André Aamodt (born September 2, 1971, in Oslo) is a Norwegian former alpine ski racer, one of the most decorated in history.
He is the only Alpine skier to win 8 Olympic medals, and has won 5 World Championship gold medals as well as 21 individual World Cup events. Described as an all-round alpine skier, Aamodt participated in all alpine skiing disciplines in the World Cup and World Championships, and is one of only 5 male alpine skiers to have won a World Cup race in all five disciplines.
His combined career total of 20 World Championship and Olympic medals is an all-time best. Aamodt is both the youngest and oldest male alpine skier to win a gold medal at the Olympics. He tops the all-time Marathon World Cup ranking, with a total of 13252 points earned from 1989 to 2006. He is followed by Austrians Benjamin Raich (12061, 1998.-2010.) and Hermann Maier (11787, 1996.-2009.).
By winning the Super-G race at the 2006 Olympics, Aamodt became the first male alpine skier to win four gold medals in the Olympics. (Toni Sailer and Jean-Claude Killy both swept the three alpine events at a single Olympics.)
Aamodt had 19 Olympic and world championship medals stolen from him. The medals were taken in August 2003 by burglars who broke into a safe in his father's home. The five-time world champion and winner of four Olympic gold medals later revealed they were recovered by an anonymous helper over the internet.[1]
Aamodt announced the conclusion of his career on live television with hundreds of fellow athletes in attendance at the Norwegian Sports Galla, January 6, 2007.[2]