He also holds the record for the most victories (four) on the full course at Kitzbhel. ", In a 2015 interview with Graham Bell for the Daily Telegraph, Klammer attributed his success to being the first downhiller to carve a whole turn from start to finish, contrasting his style with skiers of the previous generation such as Karl Schranz and Jean-Claude Killy who would skid at the start of a turn before engaging in a carve. Klammer Express, his other nickname, continued to dominate his sport until 1978, then he suffered a loss of momentum which led notably to him not being selected for the very strong Austrian downhill team for the Lake Placid Games in 1980. He is not only legendary as a skier, hes just a very great person.. Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. Possibly yes, he answered with a grin. Although he dominated the downhill event in World Cup competition, the overall title remained elusive, because the technical specialists had two events in which to earn points (slalom and giant slalom), whereas a speed specialist had only one. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. They met later that year in Italy during an exhibitionand then again four years later at Les Menuires, the site of the slalom race for the 1992 Albertville Games. Bobsleigh. I worked as a ski instructor when I was a student. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. Alberto Tomba won gold in slalom and GS at Calgary, then cheered from the side of the rink as Katarina Witt of East Germany claimed her second Olympic figure-skating title. But the most important week in my life! During the call, he also invited Maier to visit him next spring in Los Angeles. A key to any film is casting. Klammer's gold-medal-winning downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics was anything but dull. And what are you doing? Im studying medicine. And that was all we talked about. One of the most exciting sports events I have ever witnessed was Franz Klammer's 1976 Winter Olympic run for the gold in the downhill. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. Some of ski racings greatest characters have attracted even more attention from the media and the crowds, thanks to nicknames invented by fans, friends or reporters. And then I completely changed the line. Few past stars of ski sport command attention today like Franz Klammer. If anybody could do it, its for sure Hermann, I explained with great optimism. His rival, Russi, drew number 3 the optimum start position given weather conditions. No problem, lets meet tomorrow afternoon, he said. But it lacked an antagonist someone to create tension. I gave him the local phone number of Austrias media coordinator, who did receive a call from Idaho after Hermanns amazing comeback in Super G. Schwarzenegger was so impressed by Hermanns triumph and his funny nickname that he wanted to speak to him. In the 1975 season he won 8 of 9 World Cup downhill races, including his first of three consecutive victories (197577) on the prestigious Streif on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbhel. The next one minute, 45.73 seconds would change Franz Klammers life forever. Interestingly, none of the well-known technicians on the tour, like multiple overall World Cup champion Marc Girardelli or local favorite Franck Piccard, the 1988 Super G Olympic champion, clocked the fastest downhill time on race day. No lift, no nothing. At 60, Franz Klammer remains a charismatic and ruggedly dishy figure, along Liam Neeson lines. The legendary skier Franz Klammer. Required fields are marked *. [citation needed] He was the defending World Cup downhill champion and had won the three previous downhills in January at Wengen, Morzine and Kitzbhel, and also the previous year's race on the same Patscherkofel course. His final World Cup race was in March 1985 at Aspen, Colorado. The preceding ski season had been terrific, too, as big crowds closely followed Italys unpredictable phenomenon Alberto Tomba, who was dominating the World Cup that season with six victories and a second place standing in the technical events. Enter 22-year old Franz Klammer. 1. 3, he performed pretty well and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:46.06, giving him the lead. Literally, the entire mountain was shaking, said Russi. Franz Klammer (right) with Bernhard Russi after the men's downhill in 1976. The love story proved to be a real one, focusing on the role of Klammers now wife of 42 years, Eva. I was so focused, I was so concentrated, just on the run and then half-way down, I was looking at the crowd, kind of now I'd better do something to win the race. But it was also complex. The story of Franz Klammer is the story of ski racing in Carinthia. At the end of the 1975 season, despite having won 8 of 9 downhills, he finished third for the overall World Cup title. And it meant 100% commitment. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. Franz legendary race was one month before I was born, he said. Synopsis: Barely 22, Franz Klammer finds himself at the "eye of the storm" when he shows up for the men's downhill competition at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. An ABC van brought us from the medal plaza to the Saddledome arena. Racing skis had changed appreciably. The final event was a parallel slalom and Klammer lost in the first round. A huge crowd had amassed along the edge of the piste and at the finish line for the star event at the Innsbruck Games. I made a huge jump and thought I would crash, yet I managed to survive and land on my skis. I remember watching it live on TV as a kid and it was an electrifying performance. If there . The other favorites were not as gutsy or crazy. The Austrian set an impressive record of 62 victories and 115 podium finishes on the World Cup tour in only 175 competitions. But young Franz loved the snow, skiing to school in the winter and climbing up hills on his own to come racing back down. When I went out of the starting gate, I knew I was going to win that race, said Klammer. His fans adored his down-to-earth personality and his aggressive style. The bad ones are almost like little Franz gets his keys and then hes a teenager. Italy's Gustav Thni defeated Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in the finals and won his fourth overall title in five years. Academy Member Franz Klammer Dominated his sport in the mid-1970s and became the hero of Austria when he dramatically won the 1976 Olympic Downhill gold medal. Franz Klammer. Rahlves got his own revenge, of sorts, just two months later when he opened the World Championships in St. Anton with a super-G victory ahead of Austrias Stephan Eberharter and Maier a day that stopped the world in the hearts of Austrian ski racing fans. Posted by: Dennis S Date: July 21, 2021 08:34PM Frank Gifford called the race for ABC. He was on the edge the entire trip down the hill, several times he looked like he was out of control and going to wreck. Alpine Skiing Legend Franz Klammer Relives His 1976 Olympic Run | ISOS006 In Search of Speed 8.67K subscribers Subscribe 822 Share 182K views 8 years ago For your throwback Thursday enjoyment. As the lowest seed in 15th position, his task of bringing home . We were lucky to get him here.. Four years later, she missed the 1976 Games at Innsbruck; she had retired from racing the previous year to get married and take care of her dad, who was seriously ill. After his death, she staged a successful comeback. Forty years ago the legendary Austrian took the breath away in the Hahnenkamm downhill before later taking Olympic gold. Sporting Legends. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer. He was a troubled youth who began competitive skiing on nearby Mount . To film with authenticity, producers had new equipment manufactured to make it look old. He also remains close to Russi. Franz was getting treated like a king coming into that race, said Rahlves. At the intermediate time, he was behind Russi. He was behind Russi at the first time split and still behind at the second. Ironically, it wasnt his first visit to the little-used speed course on Patscherkofel. Everyone got nervous after defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi from Switzerland set the best time after a nearly flawless run. Two or three times we tried to bring a good story. He slid his Fischer C4s back and forth, stretching his legs. The modern-day vintage-looking C4s took a little adjustment time. He won for the nation, for every Austrian skier. Eight years after Sapporo, La Proell had enjoyed a superb revenge. Thats what I liked.. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). His five World Cup downhill titles (1975 1978, 1983) are still more than any other skier in history (no one else even has four). My mother put me on skis when I was two years old, reminisced Klammer. Klammer started racing at the relatively late age of 14, competing in the winter whilst working on the family farm during the summer after he dropped out of school. He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a margin of 0.33 seconds with a time of 1:45.73. Chasing the Line. The feature-length film debuted with a screening Sept. 27 at the Zurich Film Festival. Their finish line embrace at Patscherkofel in 1976 was heartfelt and forged a bond between the two rivals each Olympic downhill champions. As expected, Russi put down a solid run to take the lead. It was always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer. He didnt grow up in the shadow of the towering Tyrolean Alps. And still, he does everything right! The last, 11 years later in 1984, at the age of 30, is worthy of a second movie. I was kicking in her belly because my mother was so excited the whole time.. Really the whole mountain was shaking when Franz came down, he recalls. Its about skiing to school each day, always enjoying that feeling of sliding on snow. Their story was truly one for the big screen. But they were not attractive. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. The streets across the nation were empty and factory workers received a special break, so they could watch the event on TV with millions of their compatriots. Become a member and join a community of people who care about skiing! So I won it.. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. 1. He nearly went down on the first curve, but saved it on one ski. When I started, the course was basically ruined and I knew I had only a small chance to win, he said. 2-The Thrilla In Manila- Ali V Frazier III 3. In the summer of 1975, in the lead-up to the Olympics, the Austrian team held a training camp in Tunisia where he coincidentally met a young girl from Vienna. First time split and still behind at the intermediate time, he said rivals each downhill. 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