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THE FLYING FINNIn first place after round one of the men’s large hill ski jumping competition, Toni Nieminen then extended his lead with a spectacular jump in round two to secure the gold medal. In doing so, the Finnish daredevil became the youngest man ever to win gold in an individual event at an Olympic Winter Games – on the day of his triumph, Nieminen was just 16 years, 261 days old. He also won gold in the large hill team event.The XVI Olympic Winter Games in Albertville were the last to be staged in the same year as the Olympic Summer Games. Among the 1,801 athletes who competed, Honduran cross-country skier Jenny Palacios-Stillo (below) and Swaziland slalom specialist Keith Fraser each hold a unique distinction. The pair became the first athletes to compete for their respective NOCs at an Olympic Winter Games – and remain the only athletes to have done so.The Olympic Winter Games Albertville 1992 were the third Games to be staged in the French Alps – after Chamonix in 1924 and Grenoble in 1968 – and the small town of Albertville saw many improvements, from a new hospital to greatly improved road links and high-speed rail connections. But it wasn’t just Albertville that reaped the benefits. The Games were staged in nine other towns and resorts in the area covering around 650 square miles, and resorts such as Courchevel, Méribel and Val d’Isère upgraded many of their facilities. Since 1992, they’ve hosted millions of tourists and staged a number of world-class sporting events, including the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (Val d’Isère, 2009).DID YOU KNOW?MEMORABLE MOMENTSOLYMPIC LEGACY“As the Games unfolded, the organisers and their volunteer staff of thousands could not have been friendlier or more accommodating… The glorious French Alps became a warm and welcoming maître d’ in sight, sound and emotion.”Michael Janofsky, Correspondent, The New York TimesWHAT THEY SAIDOLYMPIC REVIEW 71OLYMPIC FLASHBACK