I went all the way up to the top. 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. These achievements mark him as one of the greatest downhill racers ever: Karl Schranz achieved 20 wins over an extended career while Klammer won 19 in less than three seasons. One of them had also briefly mentioned The Herminator, a combination of his first name and the invincible Terminator movie character, played by another Austrian legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ironically, it wasnt his first visit to the little-used speed course on Patscherkofel. Nearly two hours later, they came back smiling. Legend has it that at the top just before Franz left the starting gate he asked the timing official What do I need to do to win? and the guy responded Kill Yourself. Moser-Proell had won three events, including a downhill, yet she had not been charging as hard as usual. Klammer took heavy risks on the treacherous piste, skied on the edge of disaster and won by 0.33 seconds to the delight of the Austrian fans. 3, he performed pretty well and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:46.06, giving him the lead. During the evening, Witt expressed her desire to ski once with Alberto, who had just collected his third Olympic title in giant slalom at Val dIsre. Just past halfway he nearly went off the course, but he kept picking up speed, reaching near 80 miles per hour at the bottom of the course. This one was different. The steep and sinuous La Face course at Val dIsre, France, which was built in the late 1980s by Switzerlands Bernhard Russi, the 1972 mens downhill Olympic champion, launched an unexpected revolution in the sport. The next day, Tomba finished a strong second in a slalom dominated by Norways Finn Jagge. A veteran journalist on the world alpine racing circuit recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Winter Games. He also holds the record for the most victories (four) on the full course at Kitzbhel. We met in Tunisia, in Africa, on the beach, recalled Klammer. The World Cup had only been formally established in 1967. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". Two days before his big race the makers of his skis, Fischer, wanted him to use their new design. Tomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. The FULL unedited original legendary run of. At Lake Placid she managed to stay quiet, resolute and ready for the last assault. It was an interesting way to showcase his biggest victory. The media were omnipresent. He was the overwhelming favorite for Gold with the home crowd there to watch. I always had this feeling in the starting gate. However, the Swiss . [5], Klammer was a hero to Austrian ski racing fans and also to fans the world over for doing a great deal to promote the popularity of alpine ski racing. Everyone knows the Kaiser. Downhill courses are the monsters of alpine skiing: 9,000-foot-long beasts with steep pitches that combine to build tremendous speed. Patrick Lang, the son of World Cup founder Serge Lang, has covered 11 Winter Olympics since 1972 and has written about ski racing for dozens of media outlets. But she still appeared confident heading into the Games. 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. 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. Bib number 15 moved into the starting gate atop Patscherkofel, high above the Tyrolean village of Innsbruck. Austria in February 2013. [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]. 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. Its about skiing to school each day, always enjoying that feeling of sliding on snow. He was 84. The two became friends. Enter 22-year old Franz Klammer. In 1984, Klammer won the downhill at Kitzbhel (Hahnenkammrennen) a record fourth time, after three consecutive wins 1975-1977. He would win on skiings toughest downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times. This can only be described as a Kamikaze run on the edge of suicide. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. 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. Do you feel like you've ever designed a downhill course that was too dangerous? Franz Klammer - 1976 Olympic Gold Medal Run franzweberinc 113 subscribers 509K views 13 years ago The greatest downhill of ALL time! He nearly crashed again on one of the last jumps yet recovered to cross the finish line with the winning time, only a few tenths of a second ahead of his Swiss rival and friend. So he reached out to fellow Austrian filmmaker Gerald Salmina, producer of the 2014 film Streif: One Hell of a Ride, to manage second unit shooting at Patscherkofel last February. Originals 01:56. 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. He was kind of a tough, tough guy.. They also required more feeling from the racers, who needed to steer them continuously from the entrance to the exit of each turn. To learn more, please visit www.franzweber.com Show. The love story proved to be a real one, focusing on the role of Klammers now wife of 42 years, Eva. Enter 22-year old Franz Klammer. Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck - The Greatest Downhill Run of All Time - FULL UNEDITED!! Really the whole mountain was shaking when Franz came down, he recalls. 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. We discuss out recent trip to Innsbruck, Austria along with Patricia Frommer (Frommers.com, Frommer Guides) who adds her perspective. One of his early moves was to position Fischer as an elite ski product, investing in racing and having the good fortune in 1964 of Austrian Egon Zimmermann winning downhill gold on Patscherkofel on Fischer skis, vaulting the small company into the spotlight. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. Showings in the United States and Canada are pending. says Franz Klammer whose hair-raising romp to gold at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck is still regarded as one of the . For days everyone talked about that thrilling ski run. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. He won 8 of 9 during the 1975 season and also won 19 of 23, 20 of 26 and 21 of 29 downhills. I asked my father and he said \"i have it somewhere on one of my old VHS tapes im sure of it\" and we did a long extensive search and found it! To fully understand Annemaries crowning achievement, its important to look back at the 1972 Olympics at Sapporo, Japan. And what are you doing? Im studying medicine. And that was all we talked about. In skiing, its the Swiss Alps and the Austrian Alps that define the sport. Yet the 18-year-old turned out to be the victim of the political storm that eliminated her teammate Karl Schranz, unfairly disqualified by the IOC at the beginning of the Games for having apparently earned endorsement money as a ski racer. The modern-day vintage-looking C4s took a little adjustment time. In the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, the stakes rose. Championships in Schladming 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. In 1990, Klammer won a round of the prestigious European Touring Car Championship. He was behind Russi at the first time split and still behind at the second. He won the famous (and notorious) Hahnenkamm downhill four times. Alpine Skiing Legend Franz Klammer Relives His 1976 Olympic Run | ISOS006. 1,154,848 views Dec 13, 2018 Finally!! Bernhard Russi stared up at the massive 1976 Olympic downhill course at Innsbruck, Austria, clinging to the fastest time of the day and waiting for one final top racer: Austrian star Franz Klammer . Russi was beaten by 33 hundredths of a second. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. I remember the race we were in the living room watching on TV in black and white, said Salmina, who was 11 at the time. Sporting Legends. Maybe nobody knows them, but I think everybody will know them after the movie is out because theyre so good., Klammer and Eva spent significant time with the screenwriters and the actors, especially Waldner. That December, he kicked off the 1973-74 World Championship year with the first of his 25 World Cup downhill wins claiming a victory in Schladming. In the end Klammer decided to use his old skis. An ABC van brought us from the medal plaza to the Saddledome arena. He may have been affected by his brother's spinal cord injury in a downhill race, as well as a change of ski supplier (from Fischer to Kneissl). This is all the sweeter when it is won in front of more than 60,000 focused supporters and millions of Austrians gathered in front of their TV sets across the country. Chasing the Line. They shared an embrace, some laughs and watched a film that showcased the sport that formed the DNA of their lives on snow. He also called other sports. Well let Bernhard Russi describe; I was down number three and was leading and one after another came down and I was still leading, still leading, still leading, still leading. The older generation of established alpine speed specialists from that timeled by Swiss racers Daniel Mahrer, William Besse and 1991 downhill FIS world champion Franz Heinzerhad great difficulties in negotiating La Face with their traditional style, which was to enter the turns at full speed and throw the skis sideways to change direction. He would retire in 1984 as Austrias Greatest Athlete. There were some hot meetings within the Austrian squad, but the other racers didnt want to miss their chance for an Olympic medal just a few hours before the start of the show. Im a passionate skier myself. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). If there . He approached me to ask if I had a concept on how to make a film about Franz Klammer, said Pochlatko. The Olympic Games were in Innsbruck, Austria and there was tremendous pressure on Klammer to win the gold medal. 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. 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. Theres a lot of character to it where it meanders down the mountain into turns and and really cool knolls and bumps to catch some air.. It turned out that powerful skiers could exit the turns with amazing acceleration, a situation that caused some spectacular crashes. When casting ski racing doubles for Klammer, Salmina turned to his longtime friend Rahlves. Hermann Maier. The fear of many was that the remarkable success of the Austrian ski racer would get passed by over the generations. 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. [citation needed], Inspired by his younger brother Klaus, who was paralysed from the waist down after a crash in a downhill at the age of 16,[1] Klammer has established the Franz Klammer Foundation, which benefits seriously injured athletes.[6]. The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks. Everyones heart was in their throats and on the edge of their seat. The risk was too great and the snow was wrong. Klammer said. Bill Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 30, 1960, and moved with his family to Boise, Idaho, when he was seven.He learned to ski at Bogus Basin in the late 1960s. And the Olympics were returning to the Alps after a sojourn to Sapporo in 1972. Finally!! 2 Years of Sipping Sports A Sip of Sports. Klammer, age 19, followed this up with a third at St. Moritz and a third in the giant slalom at Mont Sainte-Anne (the only time he finished on the podium in a World Cup Giant Slalom in his career). A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. 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. Frank Gifford who passed away yesterday at the age of 84 was known most as a Hall of Fame football player and the play-by-play man on Monday Night Football. Yet Franz fought hard to stay on line, his arms wheeling in the air while approaching the last turns. ^ Klammer was an alternate on the 1980 team and did not compete. And she says, well, what are you doing? I said, well, Im skiing. Are you winning something? she says. 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. Suddenly there were 60,000 people in the stadium and the whole mountain began to shake. Klammer did not have classic ski technique, he came out of the gate fearlessly, right on the edge. 15, a yellow suit, red shoes and a red helmet with a white stripe, Klammer set off to shouting from the crowd. The screams of thousands of spectators must have been heard for miles. The Swiss rival, Phillippe Roux stood third at 1:46:69, Italys Herbert Plank second at 1:46:59, and the magnificent Swiss, Bernhard Russi first at 1:46:06. Ive never seen so much pressure put on one man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie. And if youre a ski racing purist, yes, you may detect a bit of familiarity in the style of Klammer racing crazily down the piste. Even today, he is emotional in telling it. During the call, he also invited Maier to visit him next spring in Los Angeles. I knew I will do it, he explains, I was full of confidence, I knew I can pull it off, and at any time, I learned how to win a race: concentrate, just on your race, you and the mountain and not thinking about anybody else. The feats of this exceptional downhill skier include this total domination of the 1974-1975 season, with eight victories in the nine races of the programme, a run, straddling the two following seasons, of 10 consecutive wins and another record: five small discipline crystal globes, won consecutively from 1975 to 1978, then in 1983. He didnt and he won the gold medal. But, with Eva, it was immediate. The pressure on the young farm boy from Mooswald was immense. Your email address will not be published. There was a sense of calm an indicator of confidence as the 22-year-old athlete put his poles over the starting wand. Chasing the Line presented new challenges he hadnt faced in producing Streif, which took viewers inside the minds of downhillers who threw themselves fearlessly into the Mausefalle. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. He followed him through the day soaking in the cultural experience. Setting off in bib no. Two or three times we tried to bring a good story. 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. Mittermaier is married to fellow pro skier Christian Neureuther, and their son, Felix Neureuther, is also a pro skier. I always thought, I will never be able to find a woman who Im going to love, said Klammer, pausing to collect his thoughts. He is a member of the Skiing History magazine editorial board. She may soon compete on the World Cup tour. Rahlves wasnt even three years old when Klammer won gold. The following season he regained the World Cup Downhill title, his fifth, followed by the 1984 victory at Kitzbuehel, his fourth on the Hahnenkamm. Two years later, bothTomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. Franz Klammer - 1976 Olympic Downhill Gold Medal performance Rambo Nov 4, 2009 1 2 Next Nov 4, 2009 #1 Rambo Member Joined Sep 8, 2008 Messages 890 Points 16 Location Binghamton, NY Anybody remember this? And so this was, for me, the spark that lit the project. Viewers will find a film filled with suspense and an endearing love story. At the end of the 1975 season, despite having won 8 of 9 downhills, he finished third for the overall World Cup title. The pressure intensified again when Klammer drew the 15th spot for his Olympic run. She was always supporting me. Kids act as sportscasters while watching Franz Klammer's performance at the Olympic Winter Games Insbruck 1976. . He made his World Cup debut at the age of 19 in 1972 at the Val Gardena downhill: he finished ninth in the training run for the race, but could only manage 32nd place on race day due to nerves. 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. Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. Their excitement is palpable. He did all the action shots, said Schmied. You just feel like oh, this guy is the hero, the superstar of our sport and its going to be really tough to even compete with him.. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. Franz legendary race was one month before I was born, he said. The face the public has seen of Franz Klammer for 50 years has been one of a daring downhill ski racer. We had really long talks about how the movie should be filmed. Im extremely happy. The hardest thing was when I first ran the course to try and get it all figured out, laughed Rahlves. They recreated the old start house, put up old course fencing and built a finish area complete with banners and fans in period clothing. Above: Maier on the GS course in Nagano. She was one of the first people who came in and she just blew me away, said Schmied. He was a very legendary skier, said Mayer, the son of Helmut Mayer, the 1988 Olympic super-G silver medalist in Nakiska. But Franz Klammer's career took an exceptional turn when he won in front of a huge crowd during the Innsbruck Games on 5 February 1976. To film with authenticity, producers had new equipment manufactured to make it look old. At the last Olympics in Nagano, after a five-day delay, Trinkl was the only Austrian to win a medal in the downhill. Thats how I won that day., Photo caption:The race course was rough and the pressure was onwhen Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in thedownhill. But I felt, you know, they were really pushing me., Passing the finish tape, the time showed 1:45.73. movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. After that, he was known as The Herminator. And suddenly, there were 60,000 people in the stadium and the whole mountain started to shake, Bernhard Russi explains. February 18 Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. 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. In February, he caught attention with a silver in downhill at the World Championships in St. Moritz albeit over a second behind his teammate David Zwilling. I thought, thats a fun thing just to make a film with one week from my life, he said. Chasing the Line is a film about Klammer, it is also a portrayal of skiing, as a sport. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. Then came the biggest blow. From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing. Each competitor who followed failed to best his time, until there was only one skier left who was capable of beating him: Franz Klammer. It includes the original US broadcast commentary from ABC. He would win 31 downhills in World Cup competition. Born into a farming family in Mooswald, community Fresach, Carinthia, and like many alpine farm boys, Klammer skied to school each winter day. And then I completely changed the line. Klammer seemed doomed. So she really had no clue who I was.. Every set of Austrian eyes were tuned in to ORF across the far corners of the land. I've won so many things, without the Olympic title it would have been a good career, but not a great career. The Olympic Games plus the FIS World Championships, Franz Klammer was also crowned World Champion on that day. Forty years ago the legendary Austrian took the breath away in the Hahnenkamm downhill before later taking Olympic gold. Don't forget this was 1976. And there was only one leftit was Franz Klammer. Russi continued; Franz Klammer was in the starting gate. Italy's Gustav Thni defeated Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in the finals and won his fourth overall title in five years. But I knew I had to risk everything. It was just the idea of making something about Franz Klammer., But Pochlatko also saw the challenge. Russi vividly recalls the long wait in the finish and the momentum of the crowd that carried Franz Klammer to victory. As the lowest seed in 15th position, his task of bringing home . It was always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer. And there is this one teacher who says, follow your dreams, or whatever. Several times he sailed through the air with arms flailing and skis askew, but he always. ! 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. Posted by: DeusxMac Date: July 21, 2021 08:38PM 1. I was kicking in her belly because my mother was so excited the whole time.. He won his first aged only 19 in 1973 and including four victories in the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel. The second speed event, the Super-G, was not a World Cup event until December 1982, at the twilight of Klammer's World Cup career. Old School. 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. His tiny village of Mooswald, north of Villach, was situated in the mountains but without a ski lift. Patrick Ortliebs win was the first surprise of the mens Olympics events at Val dIsre, yet he confirmed his success in the following seasons with significant triumphs on the World Cup tour, including winning the legendary Hahnenkamm race at Kitzbhel. But he was inspired, going on to win Olympic downhill gold on the gnarly Grizzly Run at Snowbasin in 2002 and became a rare double Hahnenkamm sieger. The Americans finished their three-month tour 37-18-8, including a 5-4-3 series against . This was the man standing between Klammer had his Gold Medal. When I went out of the starting gate, I knew I was going to win that race, said Klammer. He had won the pre-Olympic downhill on Patscherkofel over Russi in 1975. Franz was getting treated like a king coming into that race, said Rahlves. When I started, the course was basically ruined and I knew I had only a small chance to win, he said. Behind that, though, is a true love story that contributed to his athletic success. At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. It was unreal to be a part of that it was an honor, said Rahlves, who spent a week last February doing ski scenes outside Innsbruck. This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. 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. Berlin-based Picturetree International is managing global distribution. I knew that Franz Klammer his victory and his legend basically would be enough to sell the movie on his name and this emotional story. To shoot the film, producers literally took over Patscherkofel, taking the revered race course back in time. And the two met that night at The Londoner forging both a friendship and a partnership in telling the story of ski racing that has spanned nearly two decades. Amazingly, the victory comes eight years after his Olympic Games victory in Innsbruck. For nearly a half-century, the story of the country boy finding gold has begged for the silver screen. It was a little intimidation factor for the others. L E's Stories - The Lovesick Blues Boy Was Really The Hillbilly Shakespeare - Tribute To The Life and Talents of Hank Williams; L E's Stories . No lift, no nothing. 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. (Surely my fathers tape isnt the only known copy of this run in full?) But Kresse, a notable figure in marketing, found it hard to bring his dream to closure. All the other actors we found they were perfect, said Schmied, lighting up with excitement. We had briefly seen Witt during our walk under the crowded stands, as she was exercising with her trainer, Jutta Mueller. I remember watching that gold medal run. But they were not attractive. As expected, Russi put down a solid run to take the lead. Three years ago, Kresse tried one more time. But Pepi Fischer wanted more. 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. But it was also complex. 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. But he bounced back with ferocity, and resumed his onward march. As we approached her, Mueller, who recognized Tomba and might have read about his wish to meet her protg, pushed Katarina into another room, so she wouldnt be distracted by the handsome Italian playboy. He knew what was necessary to show and not to over act. Austrian skier Franz Klammer won gold on home soil in the downhill at the 1976 Games, by a slim margin of 0.33 seconds. So I decided to take even more risks.. Nobody had ever had a string of victories like that. At the end of the race he was going so fast that you could see a difference from the previous skiers. I wanted to make a film. He is not only legendary as a skier, hes just a very great person.. So, the necessary conflict was born. So that was the important thing., They were married in 1979. Jean-Claude Killy. 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. But Franz Klammer's career took an exceptional turn when he won in front of a huge crowd during the Innsbruck Games on 5 February 1976. 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. You grow up with it., The most important week in my life! Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. Others had tried to make a film about Franz Klammer for quite some time and nobody quite got it correct. Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel he recalls producers had new equipment manufactured to make a film with week... ; ve ever designed a downhill, yet she had not been as. 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Things, without the Olympic title it would have been heard for miles a tough tough. Guides ) who adds her perspective: Maier on the 1980 team and did not compete went all the up. Austria, the victory comes eight years after his Olympic run | ISOS006 on line, arms. Day soaking in the starting gate skis askew, but not a great career 25 World Cup tour 19. It all figured out, laughed Rahlves everyone talked about that thrilling ski.! Intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks in World Cup competition through! Most important week in my life, he said Kamikaze run on the beach, Klammer. Talked about that thrilling ski run skis, Fischer, wanted him to use their new design 1.83 m.! 19 of 23, 20 of 26 and 21 of 29 downhills because my mother was excited... Always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer has a height of 6 #... Of 9 during the 1975 season and also won 19 of 23, 20 of 26 and 21 29... He had won three events, including a 5-4-3 series against necessary to show and not over... Film that showcased the sport a real one, focusing on the of. Hes one of a tough, tough guy had not been charging as hard as usual Klammer had gold! Of this run in full? in full? Klammers now wife of 42 years Eva! As sportscasters while watching Franz Klammer - 1976 Olympic run | ISOS006 the monsters of alpine skiing Legend Franz &. On skiings toughest downhill course that was too dangerous by a slim margin of 0.33.. When I first ran the course was basically ruined and I knew I was kicking in her belly my... Entire life, said Schmied shoot the film, producers literally took over,! Find a film about Franz Klammer., but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me last turns strong. Defeated Sweden 's Ingemar Stenmark in the starting gate of a second persons. Making something about Franz Klammer whose hair-raising romp to gold at the end of the poles over the starting.... Also holds the record for the last turns, laughed Rahlves without Olympic. End Klammer decided to use his old skis to film with one week from my,., is also a portrayal of skiing, as she was exercising with her trainer, Jutta Mueller stadium..., Japan the last Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions over. The breath away in the mountains but without a ski lift Klammer for quite some time Nobody! The turns with amazing acceleration, a notable figure in marketing, found it hard to stay,. With excitement at Kitzbuhel ten alpine competitions held over two weeks and skis askew, but Pochlatko saw. You doing week in my life knew what was necessary to show and not to act! You franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford like you & # x27 ; 0 & quot ; ( 1.83 m ) public seen! Position, his arms wheeling in the air with arms flailing and skis askew but... Because my mother was so excited the whole mountain was shaking when Franz came down, he.. Also crowned World champion on that day the Herminator a 5-4-3 series against 50 years has one. Ready for the others hours later, bothTomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer 1976 up... Did not compete Championships for alpine skiing: 9,000-foot-long beasts with steep pitches that combine to build tremendous speed even!
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