He won for the nation, for every Austrian skier. But she was always a huge support from the beginning, sitting always in the background and just being there. At Lake Placid she managed to stay quiet, resolute and ready for the last assault. And, once again, Rahlves found himself on page one of the local Tiroler Tageszeitung. 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. 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. 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. So I decided to take even more risks than I had planned, especially in the Ochsenschlag section. The bad ones are almost like little Franz gets his keys and then hes a teenager. He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. He won his first aged only 19 in 1973 and including four victories in the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel. But young Franz loved the snow, skiing to school in the winter and climbing up hills on his own to come racing back down. The antagonist role was cast with Fischer Skis owner Josef Pepi Fischer, the second-generation owner of the famed Austrian ski company. Even his coaches were tense. Their story was truly one for the big screen. His fourth victory in Kitzbhel in January 1984 at the age of 30 was a record at that time, which would later be beaten by the Swiss competitor Didier Cuche, yet Klammer remains the only skier to have won four times across the whole Streif course. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). 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. 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. He and Elisabeth dissected the story to determine how they could tell Klammers story and keep the attention of an audience 45 years after his famous ride down Patscherkofel. [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. Its like Hermann Maier for me his program was at such a high level and he had everything taken care of for him. Don't forget this was 1976. But they were not attractive. The two nations ski teams are two of the fiercest rivals in the sporting world. I watch it every four years at the Olympics but Klammers run is on my Mount Rushmore of Most Exciting Events I have seen in nearly 50 years of watching sports. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. I couldnt believe my luck.. After his 1978 World Cup win, Klammer's performances stagnated for several years, not winning a World Cup race until 1981. Wearing bib 1 and with nothing to lose, as he didnt belong to the circle of favorites, he achieved an aggressive yet controlled run and set a time that nobody could beat. ^ Klammer was an alternate on the 1980 team and did not compete. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. When Klammers time at the starting gate came he knew exactly what needed to be done. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. They tried to do some kind of a glamour biopic.. Swiss favorite Bernhard Russi, who two years earlier had won Olympic gold in Sapporo, was 13th. 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). Mittermaier is married to fellow pro skier Christian Neureuther, and their son, Felix Neureuther, is also a pro skier. 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. It includes the original US broadcast commentary from ABC. He had super experience in filmmaking. Klammer created The Franz Klammer Foundation which benefits seriously injured athletes in honor of his brother. I think he is skiing right now at Sun Valley and I know his ski instructor. They were excited and I knew I won it. Today, Franz Klammer is a paid ambassador for several ski resorts and corporations. Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. A key to any film is casting. At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL). [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. Finally in December 1981, after another ski change from Kneissl to Blizzard, he won at Val-d'Isre. He won 25 World Cup downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbhel. At the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, (then Yugoslavia, now Bosnia), Klammer finished a disappointing tenth on a less-than-challenging course on Bjelanica. 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. I really admired him his style, his way of skiing, Klammer said about Miller. Bib number 15 moved into the starting gate atop Patscherkofel, high above the Tyrolean village of Innsbruck. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". 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. The first choice to play the role of Franz was Julian Waldner. And there is this one teacher who says, follow your dreams, or whatever. [citation needed]. He was a very legendary skier, said Mayer, the son of Helmut Mayer, the 1988 Olympic super-G silver medalist in Nakiska. Chasing the Line is a film about Klammer, it is also a portrayal of skiing, as a sport. Berlin-based Picturetree International is managing global distribution. 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. After beating Collombin and Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz and Wengen. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. Amazingly, the victory comes eight years after his Olympic Games victory in Innsbruck. While Klammers Olympic spot was fixed, his teammates were battling for start rights in training. As I approached it, I made a last-second decision to go for it instead of following my usual rounder line. He is considered the best-ever Downhill skier who dominated the competitions in the seventies and the eighties. This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. Note: I don't have a model release for this subject Alpine Skiing. And then I completely changed the line. First of all, biopics fail because they are almost like passion plays. Hermann Maiers nickname, the Herminator, was inspired at the 1998 Games by the. He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a . In 1984, Klammer won the downhill at Kitzbhel (Hahnenkammrennen) a record fourth time, after three consecutive wins 1975-1977. 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. 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. Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck - The Greatest Downhill Run of All Time - FULL UNEDITED!! 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. (Due to the high cost of postage, this offer is limited to North American residents only.). Where to find Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck downhill video? Sporting Legends. Klammer, the 1976 Olympic downhill gold medalist, said he had idolized Sailer, telling the Austria Press Agency, "As a small boy, I wanted to be just like him." Newsweek wrote in 1996 that. The next day, Tomba finished a strong second in a slalom dominated by Norways Finn Jagge. A dozen years earlier on the same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win the gold medal. We met in Tunisia, in Africa, on the beach, recalled Klammer. Olympic triumph. I worked as a ski instructor when I was a student. Klammer, along with fellow Carinthia natives Fritz Strobl and Matthias Mayer, form a unique trio of Olympic downhill champions more than any other Austrian state, even the Tyrol. Russi was selected to design the course by Jean-Claude Killy, co-president of the 1992 Olympic organizing committee, who used to ski on that part of the Bellevarde slope as a kid. He knew what was necessary to show and not to over act. He approached me to ask if I had a concept on how to make a film about Franz Klammer, said Pochlatko. I knew I only had a small chance to win, hetold the author. Become a member and join a community of people who care about skiing! Viewers will find a film filled with suspense and an endearing love story. 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. In skiing, its the Swiss Alps and the Austrian Alps that define the sport. The next one minute, 45.73 seconds would change Franz Klammers life forever. 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. Its about skiing to school each day, always enjoying that feeling of sliding on snow. 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. Andreas dug into the story with his wife Elisabeth, a former journalist who is now a screenwriter and novelist. 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. Posted by: DeusxMac Date: July 21, 2021 08:38PM But it was also complex. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. 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. 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. Like most Austrians, he had a special place in his heart for Franz Klammer. 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? Right: Schwarzenegger and Maier. Nicknamed "Gold-Rosi" in her native Germany, her gold medal in the Downhill at the 1976 Olympics was the only international win in the event during her career. A veteran journalist on the world alpine racing circuit recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Winter Games. Curling. 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. Franz Klammer, a former champion alpine ski racer, has a net worth of $45 million. I thought, thats a fun thing just to make a film with one week from my life, he said. And his new girlfriend, Eva, was back home at college in Vienna. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks. An all-too-fitting mantra for the ski racing pioneer who helped launch the World Cup circuit more than 50 years ago and was part of the commentary crew that called one of the most thrilling. I spoke about it with ABC studio producer Draggan Mihailovich, a Tomba fan, who organized the journey. Kids act as sportscasters while watching Franz Klammer's performance at the Olympic Winter Games Insbruck 1976. . Thanks to special accreditations, we were standing right at the rink when Witt started to perform. In the end Klammer decided to use his old skis. Nobody had ever had a string of victories like that. He won 8 of 9 during the 1975 season and also won 19 of 23, 20 of 26 and 21 of 29 downhills. With the Super-G, as a second speed race, not existing at the time, Klammer's career was only downhill (apart from a world title in the combined event in 1974), which explains why despite his overwhelming domination, the Austrian skier, born on 3 December 1953 in Mooswald (Carinthia), was never able to compete for the large general classification globe in the World Cup in an era particularly characterised by the success of the Swede Ingemar Stenmark. 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. 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. 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