franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford02 Apr franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford
In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. I think he won for everybody, you know? 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. I had seen in training that a few skiers, including Ken Read of Canada, had tested a straighter yet very risky line there. If there . Moser-Proell had won three events, including a downhill, yet she had not been charging as hard as usual. Even today, he is emotional in telling it. Originals 01:52. Instead, he was born in the southernmost Austrian state of Carinthia, a region with lesser-known mountains and a bit outside the ski racing spotlight. His rival, Russi, drew number 3 the optimum start position given weather conditions. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. 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. Two or three times we tried to bring a good story. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. 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. 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. He also earned the Olympic gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics wining the Downhill event. A dozen years later, Fischer had a strong racing product. The first choice to play the role of Franz was Julian Waldner. Jan. 01, 1977 - Franz Klammer the 'winner' 5 th downhill - race of Stock Photo, Royalty Free Image: 69487594 - Alamy . Rahlves wasnt even three years old when Klammer won gold. Sport Skiing Country Austria Born December 03, 1953 Joined academy 2000 I also told Ryan about that funny nickname and Maiers comment. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". He won 25 World Cup downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbhel. In skiing, its the Swiss Alps and the Austrian Alps that define the sport. We go for a beer and some nice talks, said Mayer. 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. When I started, the course was basically ruined and I knew I had only a small chance to win, he said. Ive never seen so much pressure put on one man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie. After his skiing career, he became a racing driver and raced touring cars until the 1990s. Note: I don't have a model release for this subject He had super experience in filmmaking. In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. And, once again, Rahlves found himself on page one of the local Tiroler Tageszeitung. 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. 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. To understand the 1976 Olympic downhill, you need to look back a few years in time. At the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Russi nearly retained his Olympic title with a very fast time in the downhill at Patscherkofel, but took the silver medal. Klammer's gold-medal-winning downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics was anything but dull. So heres the real deal! It will premiere Oct. 26 in Villach, Austria, near Klammers childhood home of Mooswald. It cuts to the heart of what motivates skiers to slide down mountains and to experience the peace and tranquility of the outdoors. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. Salmina was at Kitzbhel in 2003 the day Rahlves won. The Klammer story, yah, it was epic, said Schmied, a Styrian-born writer and director who, like most Austrians, was on skis before he was two. Instead, it focuses on the microcosm of his relationship with Eva as they are spirited away from the finish in an ambulance before she drives him from Tyrol back to Carinthia the next day. I hope it lasts forever., Storyline in hand, casting the right actors became the next challenge. Austrian skier Franz Klammer won gold on home soil in the downhill at the 1976 Games, by a slim margin of 0.33 seconds. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. The film portrays little glory for Franz in the hours and day after the race. 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. Across all of Austria, there was nary a single person on a village street. The following season he regained the World Cup Downhill title, his fifth, followed by the 1984 victory at Kitzbuehel, his fourth on the Hahnenkamm. Russi vividly recalls the long wait in the finish and the momentum of the crowd that carried Franz Klammer to victory. This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. 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. At the intermediate time, he was behind Russi. He won the gold medal in the downhill event at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Everybody was in front of the television set. 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. If anybody could do it, its for sure Hermann, I explained with great optimism. Didier Cuche won his fifth Hahnenkamm last January. Finally in December 1981, after another ski change from Kneissl to Blizzard, he won at Val-d'Isre. This is not a good story for a film because you need the emotional roller coaster. Lineage: Original Scotch VHS 3Hr (1980) SP- Panasonic NVHS-960 SVHS (Gold edition - Mint) - SVIDEO lead - Canopus ADVC300 - Firewire - PC /w/ Sony Vegas with Neatvideo plugin - TMPGENC (Deint - 50fps mp4 3000bitrate) Youtube. He also remains close to Russi. So I decided to take even more risks.. He was 84. He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. Here it is !! Franz KLAMMER. The Swiss favorite came in third this time, behind Moser-Proell and silver medalist Hanni Wenzel, who took gold in slalom and GS. 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. He became famous in 1998 after clinching two Olympic gold medalsin Super G and GSat Nagano despite a horrific crash in downhill. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. Schranz didnt want to leave Japan alone and he put pressure on the entire team to fly back home with him. Franz is a testimonial for skiing, said Kresse. I thought, Franz is the most famous Carinthian and we should do something with him, said Kresse. Chasing the Line, it would have been easy to simply pull archival footage to build a documentary story. I think it is the most exciting Olympics event I've ever seen. 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. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. 1. Swiss favorite Bernhard Russi, who two years earlier had won Olympic gold in Sapporo, was 13th. In bib no. Required fields are marked *. He would finish as the top downhill skier a record five times (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983). Franz Klammer won only one Olympic medal, but that was the one that mattered - at Innsbruck in 1976. To shoot the film, producers literally took over Patscherkofel, taking the revered race course back in time. Olymipc downhill champion 1976 (Innsbruck). Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback. The 1974-75 winter was practically perfect for Kaiser . Hes quick to talk about stars of the sport like Alberto Tomba, Hermann Maier and Bode Miller. 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. Klammer won every downhill in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of his skis came off. Literally, the entire mountain was shaking, said Russi. I spoke about it with ABC studio producer Draggan Mihailovich, a Tomba fan, who organized the journey. For others, like Franz Klammer, its about climbing mountains for fun and sliding back down. 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. There was a sense of calm an indicator of confidence as the 22-year-old athlete put his poles over the starting wand. In 1975 he had dominated the event in a fashion never seen before by winning 8 out of the nine downhill races of the season. Tim also talked directly to Arnie, who asked him for Maiers phone number. But he bounced back with ferocity, and resumed his onward march. There is Schladming in Austria, where crowds of 30,000 or more stand along its wild drop-off schuss to the finish. 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. 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. 01:59. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. Then came the biggest blow. 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. Christian Kresse, the tourism chief for the state of Carinthia, wanted to change that and to bring Klammers story to the screen a process that began nearly eight years earlier. Austrian great Franz Klammer says the winner of the men's downhill in . Several times he sailed through the air with arms flailing and skis askew, but he always. They will be captivated by the storyline and the tension leading up to the race. Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. 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. Alberto Tomba. You grow up with it., The most important week in my life! Originals 01:56. The course was rougher when a nervous Klammer pushed himself out of the starting hut. 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. In fact, the course contributed to new technology in ski construction, ultimately leading to the parabolic shaped skis now used by most recreational skiers. Gifford hosted "Wide World of Sports," covered several Olympics -- his call of Franz Klammer's gold-medal run in 1976 is considered a broadcasting masterpiece -- and announced a record 411 Monday . He was kind of a tough, tough guy.. [4], Immediately after his retirement from alpine competition, Klammer took up motor racing, and was soon involved in touring car racing, driving Mercedes-Benz saloons all over Europe and racing professionally as far away as Australia. Mittermaier is married to fellow pro skier Christian Neureuther, and their son, Felix Neureuther, is also a pro skier. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. 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. 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. She was one of the first people who came in and she just blew me away, said Schmied. "The most important victory for a downhiller is Kitzbuhel because in my opinion it's the most complete race," Austrian legend Franz Klammer, the 1976 Olympic downhill champion, told CNN Sport. It was a little intimidation factor for the others. [1] The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland. He approached me to ask if I had a concept on how to make a film about Franz Klammer, said Pochlatko. Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck - The Greatest Downhill Run of All Time - FULL UNEDITED!! The game was the final tuneup for Team USA before the Winter Olympics at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Feb. 7-19. Ill call him.. Only a few months later, Franz told me how he managed to clinch that title after his fantastic run. 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. [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. Franz Klammers 1976 Olympic Downhill. And she is still playing one of the most important roles in my life. The Italian skier, closely followed by a crew from a U.S. network, was proudly wearing his two Olympic gold medals around his neck. Championships in Schladming in February 2013. Hermann Maiers nickname, the Herminator, was inspired at the 1998 Games by the. Witt was exhausted but happy about her exclusive ski lesson. Ian Wooldridge the long-time sports writer for the London Daily Mail summed up Klammers feat best: The greatest single sporting achievement in my lifetime and no doubt beyond.. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. Photo caption:Hermann Maiers nickname, the Herminator, was inspired at the 1998 Games by themovie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. All the other actors we found they were perfect, said Schmied, lighting up with excitement. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). 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). At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. His yellow racing suit wasnt as crisp and flashy as the other golden Austrian uniforms. (Due to the high cost of postage, this offer is limited to North American residents only.). While the 1976 downhill gold medal is his calling card, the long term athletic success he achieved has rarely been rivaled, even a half-century later. 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