Career
Born in Abetone, Tuscany, he was among the top ski racers of the late 1940s and early 1950s. At the 1948 Olympics in Saint Moritz, Colò finished 14th in the slalom, but did not finish in the downhill, which also eliminated him from the combined. He set a speed record on skis in 1947, clocked at 98.7 mph (1588 km/h) on the Italian side of the Little Matterhorn. which stood for 13 years.
After the 1952 Olympics, Colò linked his name to a line of ski clothing and, according to the regulations of the time, he was considered a professional.
In 1954, he was disqualified by the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) and was not allowed to participate in subsequent races, notably the 1954 World Championships in Åre, and he retired at age 33. The ban was lifted 35 years later in 1989.
Colò became a ski instructor in his native Abetone, helped develop the Pistoia ski resort, and promoted the Abetone Ski Company. In 1973, he designed three ski slopes that descend from the Gomito mountain, named Zeno 1, 2, and 3.
Colò died in 1993 from lung cancer at age 72 in San Marcello Pistoiese in Tuscany.
The asteroid 58709 Zenocolò, discovered in 1998, was named in his honor. From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.