Versatile Athlete
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh | ||
| Competitor for Spain | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1957 St. Moritz | Two-man |
De Portago won a $500 bet at the age of 17 when he flew his plane beneath a bridge. He participated twice in the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree as a gentleman jockey, although he found keeping his weight down to be a struggle.
He also was a bobsleigh runner, recruiting several cousins in order to form Spain's first bobsleigh team for the 1956 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo . He had had only two or three practice runs in Switzerland before buying a pair of sleds. With de Portago steering, the two-man bob finished fourth to the surprise of the traditional teams, missing out on a medal 0.16 seconds. He was introduced to bobsledding by an American from Beloit, Wisconsin, Edmund Nelson, whom he later teamed up with in order to win the Tour de France automobile race.
Portago also won a bronze medal in the two-man event at the 1957 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz.
The Marqués de Portage is a Cresta Run record holder from Stream.
Read more about this topic: Alfonso De Portago
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