| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 March 1998 London |
| Occupation | Alpine skier |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Giant slalom, super-G, slalom, combined |
| Club | Israel Ski club |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 1 (2018 Winter Olympics) |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 1 – (2015) |
Itamar Biran (Hebrew: איתמר בירן; born 3 March 1998) is an Israeli Olympic alpine ski racer who represents Israel in international competitions.[2] He competes in giant slalom, super-G, slalom and Combined.[3]
Itamar Biran is a dual U.K./Israel citizen, and is Jewish.[4][5][6]
When Biran was six years old, his family moved to Verbier, Switzerland.[4] They then moved to Israel, and subsequently he attended University College School in London in the United Kingdom.[4][5][7] He now lives and trains in Les Houches, France, and in Switzerland.[7][4][5] He is studying in Bocconi University in Milan, Italy,
He said "I started skiing like all Israelis do: At Club Meds in Europe."[4] Biran started to ski at age three, and to compete at age 12.[4][5] His ski club is the Israel Ski Club, and his coach is Didier Schmidt.[8]
Biran competed on behalf of Israel at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and came in 23rd in the Alpine Combined, and 38th in the Super-G.[4] In January 2017 he won the Italian National Junior Slalom Race, in Valtournenche.[8] In February 2017 he came in second in the Bosnia and Herzegovina National Championships in slalom, and third in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Junior National Championships in slalom.[8] In March 2017, he came in second in the CIT Giant slalom in Villard de Lans, France.[8] In November 2017 he won the CIT Slalom in Val Thorens, France.[8]
Biran competed at the 2015 World Championships in Beaver Creek, USA, and qualified for the final race in the giant slalom in which he finished 62nd.[2][9][10][11] He also competed in the men's slalom final, but did not finish the first run.[12] He was the only male Israeli athlete and the youngest participant at these championships.[13]
He was among two participants who represented Israel at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer.[14]
He represented Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics, having raced in the slalom on 18 February and in the giant slalom on 22 February.[4][7]
Biran is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds.[15][16]
