Alberto Tomba

After winning, he whirls his poles overhead like a twin-bladed chopper, sending gusts of excitement through the hillsides. Half smiling and half scowling through a three-day growth, he walks over to the fence that holds back the fans, drops to his knees and bows his head before his admirers. It's hard to tell but it looks like ... yes, the girls are crying. Young ones are holding out autograph books like religious offerings. This could be a rock star, a god. But, no, it's Alberto Tomba--"La Bomba." At 25, he's the hottest slalom skier in the world, and the most popular Italian ever to shoot down a slope.

Tomba is known as much these days for his cult-crazy following as for the power of his assault on the course. His name recognition in Italy puts him in the constellation of racing drivers and soccer players, somewhere between Pavarotti and the pope. And it's not just the winning that thrills his fans. Often, there is a hint of defeat just before. In one World Cup race, a gate flag wrapped itself around his neck, nearly taking him down. He prevailed anyway.

Nobody can match Tomba in his two events-the slalom and giant slalom. He doesn't bother with the other two alpine races-the downhill and the super giant slalom. But he doesn't need to. First bursting on the scene in 1987, Tomba took two Olympic golds in 1988. He's already clinched the World Cup slalom title this year. At Albertville, La Bomba looks set to have a blast.