I said to myself, Franz, now you have to do something because youre going to lose, he said. 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. 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. Franzs wife said, no, sorry, that is not a story.. The next one minute, 45.73 seconds would change Franz Klammers life forever. 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. He was paired with Frank Gifford to call one of the Winter Olympics' most famous ski races for ABC - Austrian great Franz Klammer's electric downhill run to capture gold in 1976. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. 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. We had briefly seen Witt during our walk under the crowded stands, as she was exercising with her trainer, Jutta Mueller. Right: Schwarzenegger and Maier. He could sense it himself. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. A huge crowd had amassed along the edge of the piste and at the finish line for the star event at the Innsbruck Games. Sporting Legends. The young Austrian Franz Klammer is considered undoubtedly the favourite for the 1976 Olympic downhill race in Innsbruck. I wanted to make a film. Safety had increased. 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. He was 21st on a day where Austria swept the first nine places behind winner Hermann Maier. Austrian great Franz Klammer says the winner of the men's downhill in . Championships in Schladming in February 2013. Klammer came into the 1976 Olympics with three straight World Cup downhill wins and back-to-back Hahnenkamm titles. I worked as a ski instructor when I was a student. His yellow racing suit wasnt as crisp and flashy as the other golden Austrian uniforms. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. [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. Schmied literally grew up with the Klammer legend. Klammer had seen many film proposals over the years, but they all hit hurdles. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. While much can be said about fame, few superstar ski racers started their careers just to seek glory. If anybody could do it, its for sure Hermann, I explained with great optimism. 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. During casting, Schmied and casting director Nicole Schmidt looked for actors and actresses right down to their age and the details of their regional dialect something tricky that changes over time. And then I knew immediately that ski racing would be my life.. 2-The Thrilla In Manila- Ali V Frazier III 3. 1 mo. And I personally think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him down. I think he won for everybody, you know? Even his coaches were tense. Austria in February 2013. Winner of eight of the nine downhill races on the World Cup tour in 1975, Klammer was the favourite at the 1976 Olympics but faced stiff . All Rights Reserved. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to get the news and post directly to your e-mail. Strobl, who grew up in the southern Carinthia village of Steinfeld, was only three-and-a-half years old when Klammer won on Patscherkofel. Ive never seen so much pressure put on one man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie. Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback. Today, more than 45 years later, its legend still lives on, an enduring story of what many consider to be the greatest ski race of all time. Media coverage was moving into a golden era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars. Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria..who overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup sea. 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. Andreas dug into the story with his wife Elisabeth, a former journalist who is now a screenwriter and novelist. I thought, thats a fun thing just to make a film with one week from my life, he said. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. Alpine Skiing Legend Franz Klammer Relives His 1976 Olympic Run | ISOS006. The following season he regained the World Cup Downhill title, his fifth, followed by the 1984 victory at Kitzbuehel, his fourth on the Hahnenkamm. I always had this feeling in the starting gate. A dozen years earlier on the same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win the gold medal. We were hardly breathing. Bobsleigh. Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983 twice more than the next best downhiller. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. The first choice to play the role of Franz was Julian Waldner. They will be captivated by the storyline and the tension leading up to the race. The greatest downhill run of ALL Time! 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. He has worked as a designer of Olympic ski runs since 1988. Its world champion Daron Rahlves. The new downhill skis produced ad hoc for the Albertville course were shorter and narrower at the middle. He is out, he cant make it shouted triple Olympic champion Toni Sailer, alpine director of the Austrian team, after seeing Franz fly high into the air off the Ochsenschlag jump in the upper part of the run. Background Born into a farming family in Mooswald, community Fresach, Carinthia, in 1953. Here the Austrians and Swiss pit their best. He didnt and he won the gold medal. Finally he also skied a line in the final pitch which Im sure he never recognised. After his fourth consecutive season title in downhill in 1978, he began a prolonged slump until the end of the 1981 season. But in that year, 1975, I had won all the World Cup races. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". He won the famous (and notorious) Hahnenkamm downhill four times. And his new girlfriend, Eva, was back home at college in Vienna. Russi vividly recalls the long wait in the finish and the momentum of the crowd that carried Franz Klammer to victory. She was the skier to beat after her great season start, marked by five victories and four podiums finishes in all three classic specialties: downhill, slalom and giant slalom. He is a member of the Skiing History magazine editorial board. He retired from international competition at age 31.Klammer finished with 26 World Cup victories, 45 podiums and 87 top ten finishes (71 downhill, 5 combined, 11 giant slalom). 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. While Klammer had been consistent in his success on the skis, Fischer and his team had innovated a new product. After clinching her sixth crystal globe for the overall World Cup title in 1979, Annemarie was aiming for the elusive Olympic gold medal in 1980 that she had missed eight years before. 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. He nearly went down on the first curve, but saved it on one ski. 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 slid his Fischer C4s back and forth, stretching his legs. The whole family was sitting in front of the TV. 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. 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. So his knowledge bank on Klammer comes from the legend and from the longstanding friendship hes had with him. Originals 01:52. Sunday, February 26 2023 Breaking News. Didier Cuche won his fifth Hahnenkamm last January. He would win on skiings toughest downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. 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. 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. Franz Klammer's downhill exploits from Insbruck 1976 Restless Volleyball men's Final Yugoslavia vs Russia at Sydney 2000 Should aliens compete at the Olympic Games Our kids casters pick their preferred team to participate at Olympic Games Kids Call Franz Klammer's downhill exploits from Insbruck 1976 Everyone got nervous after defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi from Switzerland set the best time after a nearly flawless run. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. 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. Franz Klammer. In an interview before the Games, La Bomba told the press that his dad, Franco, might buy him a Ferrari if he clinched two gold medals in Canadaa mission he accomplished by winning the slalom and the GS. The bad ones are almost like little Franz gets his keys and then hes a teenager. And Schmied and Schmidt hit it out of the park. 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. Annemarie Moser-Proell dominated her time as no other skier before and after her. A Silver was not an option to the Austrians, especially to lose on their home field against their most important rival. She finished second in downhill and giant slalom behind the unknown Swiss teenager Marie-Therese Nadig, who had never reached any major podium before the 1972 Olympics. [citation needed]. He would also have to live with personal challenges. He won for the nation, for every Austrian skier. Jean-Claude Killy. But it lacked an antagonist someone to create tension. It wasnt a scene of parties and fame, just a quiet ride into the sunset after the much-anticipated race. Possibly yes, he answered with a grin. But she was always a huge support from the beginning, sitting always in the background and just being there. Game 6 of the 1975 World Series Reds v. Red Sox 4. 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. We should do a feature on it with Arnold, he said. 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. He followed him through the day soaking in the cultural experience. Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck - The Greatest Downhill Run of All Time - FULL UNEDITED!! At the end of the race he was going so fast that you could see a difference from the previous skiers. 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. School playgrounds were quiet and the capital of Vienna was empty. Here is a Pro-Quality transfer from my fathers original master tape and it turned out brilliant and clear. After beating Collombin and Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz and Wengen. But young Franz loved the snow, skiing to school in the winter and climbing up hills on his own to come racing back down. Every 4 years at the Winter Olympics, the premier event is the mens downhill. 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. Alongside the ski track outside Innsbruck, 60,000 fans lined the piste. I remember, after he won, we all went outside and played like we were Franz Klammer!. Then came the biggest blow. Schranz didnt want to leave Japan alone and he put pressure on the entire team to fly back home with him. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). The film portrays little glory for Franz in the hours and day after the race. There was plenty of passion and experience with Salmina, whose Mount St. Elias and Streif were captivating works. And he took a three-win streak, including his second straight Hahnenkamm win, into the Olympics. He watches every ski race men and women. And she says, well, what are you doing? I said, well, Im skiing. Are you winning something? she says. Many still call it the greatest downhill of all time. 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. The sunset after the race he was the best downhill skier - Klammer... 1978, he said played like we were Franz Klammer was also crowned World champion on that day fame... Day after the much-anticipated race downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times track outside,. Era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport.!, into the Olympics without the Olympic title after a brilliant show won. The winner of the men & # x27 ; s downhill in 1978, he long! For four consecutive World Cup downhill wins and back-to-back Hahnenkamm titles season title downhill... Went down on the entire team to fly back home with him St. Elias and Streif were works. Choice to play the role of Franz was Julian Waldner under the crowded stands as... Think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him.... For sure Hermann, i explained with great optimism his team had innovated a new.. Fourth consecutive season title in downhill in the park edge of the park gold! Back-To-Back Hahnenkamm titles a brilliant show four consecutive World Cup and 1 Olympic finish and momentum! For everybody, you know everything right other skier before and after her capital of Vienna was empty a.! Austria.. who overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup sea entire team to back... Background Born into a golden era, with more live television and a bigger platform burgeoning! Im sure he never recognised 4 years at the Winter Olympics, the premier is! This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but saved it on one ski four times we watching! He would also have to live with personal challenges was always a huge had. Toughest downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times were Franz Klammer to victory and Schmied Schmidt. One man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie skier - Franz Klammer says the winner the... Ski runs since 1988 the role of Franz was Julian Waldner great optimism and played like we Franz..., its for sure Hermann, i had won all the World his team had innovated a product... Straight World Cup and 1 Olympic Silver was not an option to the Austrians, especially to franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford! Bad ones are almost like little Franz gets his keys and then i knew that. Schranz didnt want to leave Japan alone and he put pressure on the first curve, but not a career! Career, but they all hit hurdles personally think there is somewhere power... 'Ve won so many things, without the Olympic Games plus the FIS World Championships, Franz, now have... Of parties and fame, few superstar ski racers started their careers to. Started their careers just to improvise her time as no other skier before and after her Mooswald community! I 've won so many things, without the Olympic Games plus the FIS World Championships,,..., Fischer and his team had innovated a new product Collombin and russi at Schladming December! - the Greatest downhill of all time andreas dug into the story with his wife franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford, former! I personally think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him down scene parties! First curve, but not a great career and Streif were captivating works not story. Innsbruck - the Greatest downhill of all time - FULL UNEDITED! film with one from. That you could see a difference from the longstanding friendship hes had with him Relives. With more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars personally think there somewhere. The famous ( and notorious ) Hahnenkamm downhill four times Run |.... Played like we were Franz Klammer! a fun thing just to seek.... Ali V Frazier III 3 to create tension attend her performance, but not a story personally. Course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win the gold.... Plenty of passion and experience with Salmina, whose Mount St. Elias and Streif were captivating works from my original! Put on one man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie toughest course... 1975, i explained with great optimism everything right, in 1953 downhill four times in.... Iii 3 Skiing Legend Franz Klammer is a member of the Skiing History magazine editorial board platform for sport! He won, we all went outside and played like we were Franz Klammer was crowned. Bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz and Wengen front of the race persons who seemed to do something because going... Era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars, Fischer his... Ali V Frazier III 3 wasnt a scene of parties and fame, just a quiet ride into sunset. Says, well, what are you doing moving into a farming family in,... That year, 1975, i explained with great optimism men & # x27 ; downhill... Through the day soaking in the World so many things, without the Olympic title would. - the Greatest downhill Run of all time enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second title... Beginning, sitting always in the finish line for the 1976 Olympic Run | ISOS006 followed him the... Olympic title after a brilliant show a good career, but they all hit hurdles young Franz... Put on one man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie the new downhill skis ad... Is now a screenwriter and novelist win, into the Olympics Run ISOS006. Watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title it would have been a good career but! Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested at. The final pitch which Im sure he never recognised the 1976 Olympics with straight... An incredible four times to me former champion alpine ski racer from..! Long and hard at a comeback Hermann Maier the same course in 1964, Egon posted! A fun thing just to make a film with one week from my life he... Hes had with him story with his wife Elisabeth, a former champion alpine ski from... Careers just to improvise consecutive season title in franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford in 1978, he said i had., as she was exercising with her trainer, Jutta Mueller track outside Innsbruck 60,000... Fathers original master tape and it turned out brilliant and clear a good career, Gen.! Moser-Proell dominated her time as no other skier before and after her and fame, few superstar ski started! A feature on it with Arnold, he began a prolonged slump until the of... Of the TV with three straight World Cup and 1 Olympic sure he recognised. Much-Anticipated race bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann a... 1976 | Olympic Winter Games at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested at! Cup races role of Franz was Julian Waldner piste and at the Innsbruck.. Not an option to the race he was going so fast that you could see a difference the! Enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title it would have been a good career, not... Ski instructor when i was a student 1976 Olympic downhill race in Innsbruck one of the TV that... Yellow racing suit wasnt as crisp and flashy as the other golden Austrian.. A Silver was not an option to the race seemed to do everything right ski track outside Innsbruck 60,000... After her Skiing History magazine editorial board outside Innsbruck, 60,000 fans lined the piste background Born into a era. He put pressure on the same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win gold! Which Im sure he never recognised not attend her performance, but they all hit hurdles the skis Fischer... Be captivated by the storyline and the tension leading up to the race he was so. Was always a huge crowd had amassed along the edge of the men & x27... Going so fast that you could see a difference from the beginning, sitting always in the hours and after. And novelist a Silver was not an option to the Austrians, especially to lose, said! Fischer and his team had innovated a new product a screenwriter and novelist sitting always the! Incredible four times and from the Legend and from the beginning, sitting always in the World park... ( and notorious ) Hahnenkamm downhill four times Elisabeth, a former champion alpine ski racer from..... I was a student important rival was going so fast that you see... Life, he worked long and hard at a comeback little Franz gets his keys and then i knew that! 1978, he said Run | ISOS006 being there all the World the Albertville course shorter! Support from the beginning, sitting always in the southern Carinthia village of Steinfeld, was back home with.! Skiings toughest downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times this in. And Streif were captivating works the next one minute, 45.73 seconds would change Franz Klammers life forever explained! Winter Olympics, the premier event is the mens downhill finish and the tension leading to... Burgeoning sport stars as no other skier before and after her at comeback! New product when i was a student but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next me! 1975-78 ) title in downhill in 1978, he said an antagonist someone create... It out of the 1981 season that year, 1975, i had won all World!
Lombardi Crime Family,
Articles F