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. Klammer seemed doomed. Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983 twice more than the next best downhiller. We became close friends and it was fun, said Klammer. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. His greatest moment is certainly still his Olympic win in Innsbruck; however, his entire career remains a great source of inspiration for all the speed skiers that have followed. Franz Klammer records his fourth victory on the famed Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria. The best example is Austrias Hermann Maier, one of the greatest personalities in alpine ski racing. Ill call him.. [1] The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland. Salmina was at Kitzbhel in 2003 the day Rahlves won. What happened next was the creation of a legend. Franz legendary race was one month before I was born, he said. I remember watching it live on TV as a kid and it was an electrifying performance. He remains the king of the downhill, the most successful skier of anyone in his discipline in the World Cup. He was the overwhelming favorite for Gold with the home crowd there to watch. First of all, biopics fail because they are almost like passion plays. Franz Klammers 1976 Olympic Downhill. Background Born into a farming family in Mooswald, community Fresach, Carinthia, in 1953. Two-time world champion and former alpine ski racer who dominated the four consecutive seasons of the World Cup in the downhill event, Standing aloof as the extraordinary defining rider in an alpine ski Franz Klammer protrudes among those alpine ski heroes. 01:59. Two or three times we tried to bring a good story. Having followed her career since her first victory in 1970, it was electrifying to hug her after the press conferencea record-setting athlete who had become a good friend. Klammer first showed signs of promise in the second half of the 1973 World Cup season, finishing second in the St. Anton downhill behind Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the reigning Olympic and World Cup downhill champion. He answered that although his gold medal at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck was generally regarded as his greatest career achievement, winning at Kitzbhel in 1984 meant something very special to him, considering he hadn't won there in seven years. Viewers will find a film filled with suspense and an endearing love story. They also had a great time in California, so it was no surprise when Arnold came the following year to Beaver Creek to encourage his friend, who clinched two more gold medals at the 1999 Ski World Championships. Amazingly, the victory comes eight years after his Olympic Games victory in Innsbruck. Franz is a testimonial for skiing, said Kresse. He showed me plenty of tricks and we had so much fun, she told me afterwards as we sat down to enjoy hot chocolate and cakes. Most recently this includes the downhill course at Jeongseon for the PyeongChang 2018 Games. Klammer won every downhill in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of his skis came off. Everyone got nervous after defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi from Switzerland set the best time after a nearly flawless run. He was 21st on a day where Austria swept the first nine places behind winner Hermann Maier. Jan. 01, 1977 - Franz Klammer the 'winner' 5 th downhill - race of Stock Photo, Royalty Free Image: 69487594 - Alamy . This article first appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Skiing History magazine. If anybody could do it, its for sure Hermann, I explained with great optimism. Franz Klammer, sterreichischer Skirennlufer und Olympiasieger. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. After beating Collombin and Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz and Wengen. Is she also French? I asked him at the 2013 World Cup season start at Soelden. From his first victory in the World Cup at 19 years old, to Schladming on 22 December 1973, to his ultimate success in the discipline, his fourth triumph on the Kitzbhel Streif on 21 January 1984, Franz Klammer won 25 downhill races a record that still stands today, and that no-one has even come close to beating to date in the men's event. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. He could really win in this kind of Klammer style. So I decided to take even more risks.. This success means a lot to me after all those years, she told reporters at the post-race press conference that I was running in the modest base lodge of the resort. He also called other sports. Second in the season-long battle for the downhill crystal globe in 1973, he turned up the heat in 1975 winning eight World Cup downhills and taking the season title. Russi was beaten by 33 hundredths of a second. Enter 22-year old Franz Klammer. A fan of the Klagenfurt ice hockey team KAC, Klammer liked the film. He just went down the straight line which normally everybody said its just impossible, you cant stand this. His younger brother, Klaus, was paralyzed from the waist down due to a downhill ski accident when the boy was 16. Klammer has been married to his wife, Eva, since 1979: the couple met in 1975 when he was in Tunisia at a fitness camp with the Austrian ski team. So his knowledge bank on Klammer comes from the legend and from the longstanding friendship hes had with him. Four Hahnenkamm downhill titles (only Didier Cuche has more, with five). Books with references and insights into Franz Klammer's career: "White Circus" by Ken Read/Matthew Fisher, "On the Edge" by Currie Chapman/Randy Starkman, This page was last edited on 20 October 2022, at 22:30. And she is still playing one of the most important roles in my life. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. The course was rougher when a nervous Klammer pushed himself out of the starting hut. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. He nearly went down on the first curve, but saved it on one ski. At 1.35 is when he takes a line that no other skier dared to on the day and that is to cut harder left, slingshotting him forward faster. When casting ski racing doubles for Klammer, Salmina turned to his longtime friend Rahlves. A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. Two days before his big race the makers of his skis, Fischer, wanted him to use their new design. Really the whole mountain was shaking when Franz came down, he recalls. 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. [citation needed] In the Olympic test event at Patscherkofel at Innsbruck in January 1975, Klammer had defeated defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the runner-up, by nearly a half-second.[2]. The story of Franz Klammer is the story of ski racing in Carinthia. He slid his Fischer C4s back and forth, stretching his legs. All I could find on Youtube was dodgy edited versions showing only half of the run, parts in slow motion or snippets that just frustrate the hell out of you. He won the famous (and notorious) Hahnenkamm downhill four times. He would retire in 1984 as Austrias Greatest Athlete. 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. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. Italy's Gustav Thni defeated Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in the finals and won his fourth overall title in five years. 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. His formidable appearance, his determination on the slopes, and his numerous victories in the weeks prior to his trip to Japan had led reporters to use rougher nicknames, like The Beast, which Maier didnt like at all. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. They recreated the old start house, put up old course fencing and built a finish area complete with banners and fans in period clothing. The Austrian had become a hero in his country after having won a dozen downhill races in previous seasons. He knew what was necessary to show and not to over act. But Pepi Fischer wanted more. This was the 1976 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck - the men's downhill, the blue riband event - and the yellow flash was Franz Klammer, Austrian national hero and pre-race favourite. 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. Franz Klammer of Austria. Everyone knows the Kaiser. No lift, no nothing. Media coverage was moving into a golden era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars. This is where most biopics fail. Apparently they also threw quite a party at Arnies suite at the Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the wins. At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. She was one of the first people who came in and she just blew me away, said Schmied. At the intermediate time, he was behind Russi. The crowd went nuts as the announcers in ABCs commentator boothFrank Gifford, Bob Beattie and their special host Jackie Stewart, the former Formula One world car-racing championtold the world the results. Today, Franz Klammer is a paid ambassador for several ski resorts and corporations. Its very special that Franz grew up in Carinthia, just 10 minutes from my house., Every year, Mayer joins legions of followers to the local Tour de Franz cycling event. One of his strongest opponents was the very determined Annemarie Proell. 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. This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. Many still call it the greatest downhill of all time. Alberto Tomba. Franz Klammer won the Downhill skiing event in 4 consecutive World Cup seasons from 1975 to 1978. I liked his way of approaching that. The antagonist role was cast with Fischer Skis owner Josef Pepi Fischer, the second-generation owner of the famed Austrian ski company. But, with Eva, it was immediate. ago I remember being a kid seeing this live and thinking how close to death he pushed himself. The nickname became particularly apt after he survived his spectacular flight, several meters above the slope, and the post-landing cartwheels in soft snow. Franzs wife said, no, sorry, that is not a story.. And I personally think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him down. As a consolation prize, Proell won the FIS gold medal for her success in the three-event combined, yet she apparently threw the medal away after receiving it. Ryan didnt need much time to get hold of Schwarzeneggers Austrian-born ski instructor, Adi Erber, and to organize a crew to do an interview with the movie star. For some, that means weekends with the family driving to a ski resort. I worked as a ski instructor when I was a student. The Austrian set an impressive record of 62 victories and 115 podium finishes on the World Cup tour in only 175 competitions. He had won the pre-Olympic downhill on Patscherkofel over Russi in 1975. So thats the thing, you know?, Last month the two met again at the Zurich Film Festival for a screening of. 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. In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. It was a brilliant lifetime story of a young boy who had stunning athletic success. He won the gold medal in the downhill event at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. He would finish as the top downhill skier a record five times (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983). The media were omnipresent. Franz Klammer can be considered the greatest downhill skier of all time having won 25 downhill races, a record that still stands today in the men's race. The opportunity for Andreas Schmied, along with his wife Elisabeth, to write the screenplay for the Klammer story was both good fortune and a big challenge. When I started, the course was basically ruined and I knew I had only a small chance to win, he said. Nobody was doing anything. 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. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Franz Klammer interview: 'Ski racing is my life and I wanted to do it no matter what', Olympic champions in alpine skiing men's downhill, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Franz_Klammer&oldid=1117287064, Alpine skiers at the 1976 Winter Olympics, Alpine skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, Australian Endurance Championship drivers, Articles with German-language sources (de), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from July 2022, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles using sports links with data from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. And his new girlfriend, Eva, was back home at college in Vienna. Hes let his skis do the talking over the years and has won a place in the hearts of Austrians well, to a degree. There is tough and turny Patscherkofel above Innsbruck, site of the 1976 Olympics and the magnificent victory of the Austrian Franz Klammer in a performance that is considered the best single downhill run ever made. Klammer finished fourth overall in 1976, third in 1977, and fifth in 1978.[3]. Two years later, they moved to Brightwood, Oregon, near Mount Hood, and Johnson later attended Sandy Union High School in Sandy. Even though I had nothing to prove here, its a special victory after that nightmare in Japan. The Austrian was obviously relieved to have blown away the dark clouds of Sapporo that had haunted her. He would win 31 downhills in World Cup competition. Franz Klammer (right) with Bernhard Russi after the men's downhill in 1976. Setting off in bib no. Babe Ruth Hits Home Run #500- This Day In 1929, THE TV DRAFT ROUND 2 PICK 6 THE HINOEUMA SELECTS FIREFLY 2002-2003, THE TV DRAFT ROUND 2 PICK 5 THE NOSTALGIC ITALIAN SELECTS MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, THE TV DRAFT ROUND 2 PICK 4 QUINN MADDUX SELECTS THE ROCKFORD FILES, THE TV DRAFT ROUND 2 PICK 3 MAX SELECTS FAWLTY TOWERS, THE TV DRAFT ROUND 2 PICK 2 JOHN SELECTS CARTOON TOWN. Bernhard and I, we are really close friends and appreciate each others company. Sport Skiing Country Austria Born December 03, 1953 Joined academy 2000 Mayer, a Hahnenkamm champion who won Olympic downhill gold at Rosa Khutor in 2014 and doubled up with super-G gold at PyeongChang, grew up literally on the other side of the mountain from Klammers home. We said that the best film, as far as our research goes, is simply behind the scenes at the Olympics.. It was totally, totally quiet. Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback. Many of the top guns failed to control their line in the tricky parts of the course. Austria in February 2013. After his victories, Alberto told me hed be pleased to watch East Germanys attractive superstar Katarina Witt competing at the ice arena in Calgary. Thats what I liked.. Become a member and join a community of people who care about skiing! I mean, I had to come off some of the rollers, the knolls, on the tails, flying up in the air, arms out you know, just out of control, going through the pine boughs, cutting back straight to a gate, towards a fence and then redirect that. The Swiss favorite came in third this time, behind Moser-Proell and silver medalist Hanni Wenzel, who took gold in slalom and GS. Franz Klammer produced one of the most thrilling moments in alpine racing history with his reckless gold-medal run on the treacherous Patscherkofel downhill course at Innsbruck, Austria in February 1976. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. What the hell. In many ways, Klammer was an unlikely champion. Pochlatko tracked down the director to talk about his engagement in telling Franz story. During the filming last February, Rahlves was held as a ski hero by the locals, some of whom would hike up to watch the filming. Klammer created The Franz Klammer Foundation which benefits seriously injured athletes in honor of his brother. Swiss favorite Bernhard Russi, who two years earlier had won Olympic gold in Sapporo, was 13th. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). They also brought the 1976 downhill race course back to life, albeit with machine grooming to make it a bit more racer friendly. The downhill was to be run down the face of Patscherkofel, one of the premier downhill tracks in the world. Opponents was the creation of a second right ) with Bernhard Russi after the men & x27! The Zurich film Festival for a screening of he could really win in this kind Klammer... 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