How it unfolded
In front of a home crowd, France's Jean-Claude Killy had already won downhill and giant slalom gold before attempting to become only the second racer after Toni Sailer to sweep all three Olympic golds in the slalom final. In thick fog during the final, Austria's Karl Schranz stopped his run after apparently colliding with a course official and was permitted a rerun, in which he posted a faster time than Killy. Officials then reviewed video showing Schranz had already missed a gate before the collision, and disqualified him, confirming Killy's gold. Austria protested strongly but the ruling stood. Killy thus claimed his third gold, joining Sailer as the only men to sweep all three Olympic alpine events.
Why it still matters
This disqualification dispute remains the most famous controversy between France and Austria in the sport, and an early example of video review deciding a disqualification. Killy retired at 24 after these Games and became the sport's first genuinely commercial star, joining Sailer as the only Olympic triple gold winners for more than half a century.