Renzo ALVERA

Renzo Alverà was the brakeman for the legendary Eugenio Monti, one of many talents that were formed on the bobsleigh track of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the postwar period. He started racing in 1953 and only three years later won two silver medals on his )home) track at the 1956 Winter Olympics. He missed an additional Olympic appearance since no bobsleigh events were held at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. In 1957 he won the first gold medal at the St. Moritz World Championships in the two-man bobsleigh, and the team of Monti/Alverà won four consecutive World Championships through 1960. In the four-man bobsleigh he won another two gold medals at World Championships in 1960 and 1961 and another silver medal in 1957. At home Alverà was a three-time Italian Champion in two-man bobsleigh from 1958-60, while in the four-man bob he won another three Italian Championships and another third place between 1954-60. He retired from racing after winning the 1961 World Championships. His older brother Michael Alverà was also a successful bobsledder and a 1952 Olympian. Renzo Alverà worked as a gardener in his later life. He died after a long illness after a stroke confined him to a wheelchair. In 2011, a part of the Cortina track was named for him.