Ira Riklis named Jean Claude Killy as his personal hero in the skiing world. Killy is a French ski racer. He was second man ever to win all 3 alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. He’s still a record holder — since no one else has won all three: Slalom, Giant Slalom and Downhill.
Since Ira was such a big fan he decided to get the exact same skis — Dynamic VR17. They are racing skis. What happened is funny (at least now) he broke his leg in the first week after trying his new skis! I guess you can say he jumped the gun a little. Still, it’s endearing. The hero worship!
After his skiing career, Killy became a member of the International Olympic Committee (1995 to 2008). An article written about him talked about the art he used in selling himself and how he racked up contracts to endorse products (like cars)
Ira went on to master ski racing on racing skis — with no more broken bones and to start and invest in companies.