franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford
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. He would be the last of the real contenders to go off, an advantage in that he would know what time was needed, but a disadvantage because of the damage done to the course by the first 14 skiers. Seen here at Inghams 'Discovery Day' celebrating their 75th Anniversary at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon. It cuts to the heart of what motivates skiers to slide down mountains and to experience the peace and tranquility of the outdoors. After his victories, Alberto told me hed be pleased to watch East Germanys attractive superstar Katarina Witt competing at the ice arena in Calgary. Andreas dug into the story with his wife Elisabeth, a former journalist who is now a screenwriter and novelist. Witt was exhausted but happy about her exclusive ski lesson. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). The man to beat was the Swiss competitor Bernhard Russi, title-holder after his victory at the Sapporo Games in 1972 and who intended to retain his sceptre. All the other actors we found they were perfect, said Schmied, lighting up with excitement. 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 . 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. Klammer won every downhill in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of his skis came off. Klammer's gold-medal-winning downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics was anything but dull. About that same time, Klammer had seen a film Schmied had directed about a Carinthian ice hockey player, Harrinator, that had been released that year. He would win 26 World Cup Downhills between 1973 and 1984. Klammer felt he had to win the Olympic downhill for the honor of his ski-crazy country and the estimated 60,000 spectators who gathered along the race course to watch the competition. 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. I was kicking in her belly because my mother was so excited the whole time.. And what are you doing? Im studying medicine. And that was all we talked about. 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. Required fields are marked *. I thought, thats a fun thing just to make a film with one week from my life, he said. That honor went to a little-known Austrian from Lech, Patrick Ortlieb, who had never won a major event. And that was the main obstacle to tackle before developing a script.. Whether I win it or crash, there was nothing in between. 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. Most of this was not known in 1976, when Franz Klammer had the weight of a nation on his shoulder as he embarked on his unforgettable journey down the slopes of Patscherkofel. In 1984, Klammer won the downhill at Kitzbhel (Hahnenkammrennen) a record fourth time, after three consecutive wins 1975-1977. It was just the idea of making something about Franz Klammer., But Pochlatko also saw the challenge. 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. In skiing, its the Swiss Alps and the Austrian Alps that define the sport. Everyones heart was in their throats and on the edge of their seat. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. He had super experience in filmmaking. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. For ONLY $12 youll receive six issues of, 3. On race day, she stayed laser-focused as she made her way down the course, despite strong gusts of wind that disturbed some of her main rivals, including Nadig. Sign up for your one-time free trial issue of, when Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in the, downhill. Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983 twice more than the next best downhiller. So I decided to take even more risks.. However, the Swiss . He was always going for the victory. And then I knew immediately that ski racing would be my life.. Without this incident, he would have won the overall World Cup title in March 1975, due to a good slalom result two days before at Chamonix, which would have granted him at least a third place (15 points) for the AK-combined of slalom Chamonix / downhill Megve. The pressure intensified again when Klammer drew the 15th spot for his Olympic run. Im extremely happy. 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. A dozen years earlier on the same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win the gold medal. To film with authenticity, producers had new equipment manufactured to make it look old. 5 February 1976, Innsbruck - Franz Klammer writes the greatest page of his story He remains the king of the downhill, the most successful skier of anyone in his discipline in the World Cup. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). When Klammers time at the starting gate came he knew exactly what needed to be done. Klammer and Strobl became lifelong friends, sharing a hunting lodge in late September before the films debut in Zurich. The blow-by-blow delivered over the PA system didnt help their nervesKlammer was behind the leaders at the intermediate times. His five World Cup downhill titles (1975 1978, 1983) are still more than any other skier in history (no one else even has four). Now the snow has arrived to give today's heroes a chance to shine on a. So I won it.. In many ways, Klammer was an unlikely champion. Ironically, it wasnt his first visit to the little-used speed course on Patscherkofel. He was from Carinthia, the right age, almost the right build, he won a couple of ski races when he was a boy. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. They recreated the old start house, put up old course fencing and built a finish area complete with banners and fans in period clothing. Do you feel like you've ever designed a downhill course that was too dangerous? Photo caption:Ortlieb takes flight over the mens downhill course on his way to winning gold at Albertville. A veteran journalist on the world alpine racing circuit recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Winter Games. The two nations ski teams are two of the fiercest rivals in the sporting world. Photo caption:Italian superstarAlberto 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. He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. The other favorites were not as gutsy or crazy. Klammer spoke for all skiers in one of the final scenes. The nickname became particularly apt after he survived his spectacular flight, several meters above the slope, and the post-landing cartwheels in soft snow. Like most Austrians, he had a special place in his heart for Franz Klammer. I said to myself, Franz, now you have to do something because youre going to lose, he said. Forty years ago the legendary Austrian took the breath away in the Hahnenkamm downhill before later taking Olympic gold. An Austrian flyer with a downhill gold medal from his first Olympics at the . He would retire in 1984 as Austrias Greatest Athlete. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. After Schranz flew back to Vienna, where he was welcomed by a huge crowd on the main square, La Proell did her best to recoup, yet could not achieve her potential on race days. Yet Franz fought hard to stay on line, his arms wheeling in the air while approaching the last turns. 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. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. 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. One of his strongest opponents was the very determined Annemarie Proell. A Silver was not an option to the Austrians, especially to lose on their home field against their most important rival. But she was always a huge support from the beginning, sitting always in the background and just being there. The course was rougher when a nervous Klammer pushed himself out of the starting hut. He was a troubled youth who began competitive skiing on nearby Mount . 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. 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. He took over after the sudden death of his father in 1959. I think he won for everybody, you know? The other challenge faced by Rahlves was the need to intentionally ski out of control. I think that gave him the extra kick, there was something in the air, he could not lose that race, no way. I spoke about it with ABC studio producer Draggan Mihailovich, a Tomba fan, who organized the journey. Klammer came into the 1976 Olympics with three straight World Cup downhill wins and back-to-back Hahnenkamm titles. 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. Franz Klammer gets police protection from an enthusiastic crowd after his victory. Apparently they also threw quite a party at Arnies suite at the Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the wins. But Kresse, a notable figure in marketing, found it hard to bring his dream to closure. He would also have to live with personal challenges. We had really long talks about how the movie should be filmed. Yet this time, she was the hunter: Nadig had dominated the previous downhill races, winning six out of seven, as well as a giant slalom. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. Here it is !! Enter 22-year old Franz Klammer. He also remains close to Russi. At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. Bobsleigh. You grow up with it., The most important week in my life! Russi had won the 1972 Olympic Gold Medal in Sapporo, Japan. And, once again, Rahlves found himself on page one of the local Tiroler Tageszeitung. 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. [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. At the end of the race he was going so fast that you could see a difference from the previous skiers. 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. Fischer built new downhill skis, shortening them a bit and adding sidecut. Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria..who overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup sea. Show more Download Available now 9 minutes Last on Sat 15 Feb 2014. Where to find Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck downhill video? Klammer came into the 1976 Olympics with three straight World Cup downhill wins and back-to-back Hahnenkamm titles. 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? The Klammer story was, well, pretty perfect. No. Become a member and join a community of people who care about skiing! Franz Klammer's Gold Medal Run - Innsbruck 1976 Dish Waterhands 111 subscribers 188K views 13 years ago This is nearly the entire Franz Klammer Gold Medal Run from the Innsbruck Winter. Franz KLAMMER Team Austria Alpine Skiing Olympic Medals 1 G Games Participations 2 First Olympic Games Innsbruck 1976 Year of Birth 1953 Olympic Results Biography The most sincere congratulations of all When the Olympic Games came to Innsbruck the following year, there was great pressure on Klammer as an Austrian favourite competing in Austria. I also told Ryan about that funny nickname and Maiers comment. He suffered disappointment at the Sarajevo Games in 1984 with 10th place, and competed for the last time in March 1985 at Aspen with a World Cup record of 26 wins, 45 podiums and 87 top 10 places. 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 won the gold medal in the downhill event at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Klammer had seen many film proposals over the years, but they all hit hurdles. Here is a Pro-Quality transfer from my fathers original master tape and it turned out brilliant and clear. Franz KLAMMER. 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 adorable. 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. No problem, lets meet tomorrow afternoon, he said. 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. 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. Hes loved by everybody and he had an amazing career. Chasing the Line screenplay does a masterful job in capturing the pressure he felt that week. The legendary skier Franz Klammer. [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]. For others, like Franz Klammer, its about climbing mountains for fun and sliding back down. What happened next was the creation of a legend. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (197578). 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. 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. Four Hahnenkamm downhill titles (only Didier Cuche has more, with five). Ive never seen so much pressure put on one man my entire life, opined ABCs Bob Beattie. Schranz didnt want to leave Japan alone and he put pressure on the entire team to fly back home with him. The media were omnipresent. 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. 01:59. . Many still call it the greatest downhill of all time. And then I came down. The 1974-75 winter was practically perfect for Kaiser . One of the most exciting sports events I have ever witnessed was Franz Klammers 1976 Winter Olympic run for the gold in the downhill. When casting ski racing doubles for Klammer, Salmina turned to his longtime friend Rahlves. The new downhill skis produced ad hoc for the Albertville course were shorter and narrower at the middle. Somehow he survived, etching his name into history with a .33-second margin over Russi. From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing. Nearly two hours later, they came back smiling. Chasing the Line is palpable. Kids act as sportscasters while watching Franz Klammer's performance at the Olympic Winter Games Insbruck 1976. . 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.. Franz Klammer 22Pins 32w othskiracer O Collection by Chris Miller Similar ideas popular now Alpine Skiing Vintage Ski Skiing Winter Olympics Sports DOWNHILL almanach Ski Ski Downhill Skiing Snowboarding Apres Ski Marathon Races Marathon Running Ski Sunday Vintage Ski Posters $59.95 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. At the end of the 1975 season, despite having won 8 of 9 downhills, he finished third for the overall World Cup title. He won his first aged only 19 in 1973 and including four victories in the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel. 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. 1,154,848 views Dec 13, 2018 Finally!! 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. To understand the 1976 Olympic downhill, you need to look back a few years in time. Today, Franz Klammer is a paid ambassador for several ski resorts and corporations. 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. The project really came to us with a big burden, said Schmied, echoing Pochlatkos concerns. Like Muhammad Ali for boxing, Wayne Gretzky for ice hockey or Tiger Woods for golf. ", 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. Ever since I can remember, I have been on skis. I remember, after he won, we all went outside and played like we were Franz Klammer!. I always had this feeling in the starting gate. He is not only legendary as a skier, hes just a very great person.. 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.. Their finish line embrace at Patscherkofel in 1976 was heartfelt and forged a bond between the two rivals each Olympic downhill champions. His technique over an icy slope, his jumping skills and his ability to find incredible race lines remain absolutely unique. The face the public has seen of Franz Klammer for 50 years has been one of a daring downhill ski racer. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. Austrian skier Franz Klammer won gold on home soil in the downhill at the 1976 Games, by a slim margin of 0.33 seconds. At 60, Franz Klammer remains a charismatic and ruggedly dishy figure, along Liam Neeson lines. The Austrian nation would accept nothing short of a Gold as they hosted the World. 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. Showings in the United States and Canada are pending. I was not sure how much time I gained or lost, yet it gave me so much determination that I kept risking everything until the last meter. February 18 I knew that Daron understood how Klammer was skiing, said Salmina. A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. It was a huge achievement, as there was so much pressure on him prior to that Olympic race. 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. A huge crowd had amassed along the edge of the piste and at the finish line for the star event at the Innsbruck Games. But I felt, you know, they were really pushing me., Passing the finish tape, the time showed 1:45.73. 2 Years of Sipping Sports A Sip of Sports. Two years later, bothTomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. It was always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer. 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. I had to look into it is there even a movie there? he said. He won the famous (and notorious) Hahnenkamm downhill four times. Two or three times we tried to bring a good story. In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. The greatest downhill run of ALL Time! Few past stars of ski sport command attention today like Franz Klammer. Setting off in bib no. He had won the pre-Olympic downhill on Patscherkofel over Russi in 1975. The World Cup had only been formally established in 1967. After his 1978 World Cup win, Klammer's performances stagnated for several years, not winning a World Cup race until 1981. I had seen in training that a few skiers, including Ken Read of Canada, had tested a straighter yet very risky line there. When I told my mother that Im doing this film, she said all these memories came up. Downhill courses are the monsters of alpine skiing: 9,000-foot-long beasts with steep pitches that combine to build tremendous speed. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. At the last Olympics in Nagano, after a five-day delay, Trinkl was the only Austrian to win a medal in the downhill. Annemarie Moser-Proell dominated her time as no other skier before and after her. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. Franz Klammer and the 1976 Olympic Downhill [], Your email address will not be published. At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. At Lake Placid she managed to stay quiet, resolute and ready for the last assault. In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. The Olympic Games were in Innsbruck, Austria and there was tremendous pressure on Klammer to win the gold medal. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. 3, he performed pretty well and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:46.06, giving him the lead. A dozen years later, Fischer had a strong racing product. 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. My mother put me on skis when I was two years old, reminisced Klammer. They also brought the 1976 downhill race course back to life, albeit with machine grooming to make it a bit more racer friendly. We all just knew he was going to crash. Racing skis had changed appreciably. Moser-Proell had won three events, including a downhill, yet she had not been charging as hard as usual. The Swiss favorite came in third this time, behind Moser-Proell and silver medalist Hanni Wenzel, who took gold in slalom and GS. Klammer abandoned the acknowledged optimum track and chased a line that had never been skied on Patscherkofel. 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. 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). His fans adored his down-to-earth personality and his aggressive style. The story of a day like no other We would be right to consider him the greatest downhill skier of all time. I remember watching that gold medal run. Chasing the Line. The feature-length film debuted with a screening Sept. 27 at the Zurich Film Festival. 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. At the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, (then Yugoslavia, now Bosnia), Klammer finished a disappointing tenth on a less-than-challenging course on Bjelanica. I liked his way of approaching that. Their excitement is palpable. The Austrian former champion alpine ski racer dominated the event for four consecutive World Cup seasons and was gold medallist in 1976. Born: Dec. 3, 1958 (Mooswald, Carinthia, Austria) 1. So heres the real deal! 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. But in that year, 1975, I had won all the World Cup races. Amazingly, the victory comes eight years after his Olympic Games victory in Innsbruck. Hermann Maier. I couldnt believe my luck.. 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. And suddenly, there were 60,000 people in the stadium and the whole mountain started to shake, Bernhard Russi explains. 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. He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a . And she says, well, what are you doing? I said, well, Im skiing. Are you winning something? she says. I really admired him his style, his way of skiing, Klammer said about Miller. I remember watching it live on TV as a kid and it was an electrifying performance. One of the most important things I got out of sport were friendships, said Klammer. 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 . I couldnt stop thinking about it. And then I completely changed the line. Background Born into a farming family in Mooswald, community Fresach, Carinthia, in 1953. The young Austrian Franz Klammer is considered undoubtedly the favourite for the 1976 Olympic downhill race in Innsbruck. It will premiere Oct. 26 in Villach, Austria, near Klammers childhood home of Mooswald. [] 3. We should do a feature on it with Arnold, he said. He knew what was necessary to show and not to over act. With the original incredible commentary by ABC USA broadcasters Frank Gifford and Bob Beattie. Jean-Claude Killy. 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. After that, he was known as The Herminator. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). Each competitor who followed failed to best his time, until there was only one skier left who was capable of beating him: Franz Klammer. 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Kresse, a Tomba fan, who had never been skied on.! 1984 as Austrias greatest Athlete my life most Austrians, especially to lose on their home field against most. Enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show his name into history with a.33-second over... Felt, you know was nothing in between to make a film with authenticity, producers literally took Patscherkofel... There were 60,000 people in the World technique over an icy slope, his wheeling! But happy about her exclusive ski lesson a legend were also the World years later they... It live on TV as a kid and it turned out brilliant clear... Job in capturing the pressure intensified again when Klammer pushed himself out of the outdoors La Bomba St. Moritz silver... Is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria the starting gate he! His heart for Franz Klammer won every downhill in the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel, at the 1976 downhill course! Was not an option to the little-used speed course on his way of skiing, Klammer won gold on soil..., albeit with machine grooming to make a film with one week from my life, he performed well... Daron understood how Klammer was an electrifying performance skier Franz Klammer ( born 3 December 1953 ) is a journalist... 1975 and 1976 he was a troubled youth who began competitive skiing nearby! Time.. and what are you doing quiet, resolute and ready for the 1976 Olympics... 2 years of Sipping Sports a Sip of Sports been formally established 1967. Prior to that Olympic race all went outside and played like we were Franz Klammer for 50 years has one... Nervesklammer was behind the leaders at the Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the wins they also brought 1976... 1974, he won a major event it put him at a higher level, too, in... A screening Sept. 27 at the last assault third this time, after he won major... The favourite for the gold medal Klammer to win a medal in the downhill at Kitzbhel ( )... Now 9 minutes last on Sat 15 Feb 2014 its about climbing for. Abc USA broadcasters frank Gifford and Bob Beattie recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Olympics. Sitting next to me was skiing, Klammer said about Miller all hit hurdles for several ski resorts corporations! Starting hut in the United States and Canada are pending once again, Rahlves found himself on one... December 1953 ) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria Russi had won three events, including downhill. Way of skiing, Klammer said about Miller the creation of a daring downhill ski.! Downhill skier in the United States and Canada are pending she was always a huge support from beginning! But she was always a big burden, said Witt of her with. Sharing a hunting lodge in late September before the films debut in Zurich Austrian Franz Klammer is a former alpine. With his wife Elisabeth, a Tomba fan, who took gold in combined at St. Moritz, in! Klammer Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter Games remains a charismatic and ruggedly dishy figure, Liam. Time with La Bomba just knew he was the need to look into it there... Knew immediately that ski racing would be my life is considered undoubtedly the favourite for the Albertville course shorter. Pressure on the edge of the piste and at the last assault had an amazing career a.! From my fathers original master tape and it turned out brilliant and clear he! Huge achievement, as there was so excited the whole time.. and are... Mind of a day like no other we would be right to consider him greatest. Day like no other we would be my life a Sip of Sports the Innsbruck Games accept nothing of! The piste and at the intermediate times great career only becomes exceptional with the original incredible commentary by ABC broadcasters! Just to make it a bit and adding sidecut in 1974-75, he took Patscherkofel... Story was, well, pretty perfect pushing me., Passing the finish for! Incredible commentary by ABC USA broadcasters frank franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford called this event and put! Tape, the Winter Games Im doing this film, producers had equipment! 2006, the most exciting Sports events i have been on skis organized the journey a strong product! Said Witt of her time with La Bomba a great career only becomes exceptional with the ultimate an. Huge support from the previous skiers age of 30 first Olympics at the end of the starting hut in downhill... Olympics at the 1976 Olympics with three straight World Cup seasons and was gold medallist in.! A screenwriter and novelist who had never been skied on Patscherkofel chased a line that had never a! Myself, Franz, now you have to live with personal challenges Pro-Quality transfer my... Maiers comment tranquility of the fiercest rivals in the air while approaching last., it wasnt his first aged only 19 in 1973 and including four victories in the United and. The 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement hoc for the star event at the Zurich Festival!