01:59. We were lucky to get him here.. Russi had won the 1972 Olympic Gold Medal in Sapporo, Japan. I spoke about it with ABC studio producer Draggan Mihailovich, a Tomba fan, who organized the journey. He would also have to live with personal challenges. Franz everyone knows him!, In his heart, Kresse believed in the story. Hermann Maiers nickname, the Herminator, was inspired at the 1998 Games by the. While much of the storyline of the film is the tension Klammer felt and his burgeoning romance with Eva, producer Pochlatko knew that the true heart of the film was how he portrayed one of the most thrilling ski runs of all time 45 years later. Two or three times we tried to bring a good story. He was from Carinthia, the right age, almost the right build, he won a couple of ski races when he was a boy. You grow up with it., The most important week in my life! He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. I knew I only had a small chance to win, hetold the author. [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]. There are no products in your shopping cart. As expected, Russi put down a solid run to take the lead. They have two daughters, Sophie and Stephanie.[1]. 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. Setting off in bib no. The downhill was to be run down the face of Patscherkofel, one of the premier downhill tracks in the world. Thanks for bringing that memory back. He was behind at the first intermediate time, he was behind at the second intermediate time. 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. 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 . It was a crazed run to Olympic glory, up on one ski then the other, crossing back and forth through the pine boughs, sliding perilously close to the fence. He remembered that day in 1976 as a six-year-old boy, crowded together with his kindergarten classmates watching on a miniature television at school. 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. He also holds the record for the most victories (four) on the full course at Kitzbhel. Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. He met fans who vividly re-lived their own experiences of Feb. 5, 1976. It wasnt a scene of parties and fame, just a quiet ride into the sunset after the much-anticipated race. Originals 01:56. He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. The Austrian former champion alpine ski racer dominated the event for four consecutive World Cup seasons and was gold medallist in 1976. While much can be said about fame, few superstar ski racers started their careers just to seek glory. Tomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. Nobody had ever had a string of victories like that. Entering the 1976 Winter Olympics, the 22-year-old Klammer was the favourite to take the gold medal in the downhill at Innsbruck in his native Austria. In bib no. (Surely my fathers tape isnt the only known copy of this run in full?) And Schmied and Schmidt hit it out of the park. [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. Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback. Russi vividly recalls the long wait in the finish and the momentum of the crowd that carried Franz Klammer to victory. Hes loved by everybody and he had an amazing career. He nearly went down on the first curve, but saved it on one ski. [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]. Chasing the Line. The feature-length film debuted with a screening Sept. 27 at the Zurich Film Festival. One of the most exciting sports events I have ever witnessed was Franz Klammers 1976 Winter Olympic run for the gold in the downhill. Note: I don't have a model release for this subject Strobl, who grew up in the southern Carinthia village of Steinfeld, was only three-and-a-half years old when Klammer won on Patscherkofel. Ever since I can remember, I have been on skis. 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. I cant believe it, he has been amazing! Stewart said. It was a brilliant lifetime story of a young boy who had stunning athletic success. Hes let his skis do the talking over the years and has won a place in the hearts of Austrians well, to a degree. He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. For some, that means weekends with the family driving to a ski resort. 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. 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 article first appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Skiing History magazine. Originals 01:52. This is where most biopics fail. Franz KLAMMER. Didier Cuche won his fifth Hahnenkamm last January. Sign up for your one-time free trial issue of, when Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in the, downhill. 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. She was one of the first people who came in and she just blew me away, said Schmied. Enjoy!! However, the Swiss . Literally, the entire mountain was shaking, said Russi. Showings in the United States and Canada are pending. The pressure on the young farm boy from Mooswald was immense. 2 Years of Sipping Sports A Sip of Sports. At the last Olympics in Nagano, after a five-day delay, Trinkl was the only Austrian to win a medal in the downhill. At the finish line, Franz Klammer started by looking at the huge crowd. It was a really fun course with all the elements of a good downhill, said Rahlves. 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. One of the most important things I got out of sport were friendships, said Klammer. 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. Apparently they also threw quite a party at Arnies suite at the Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the wins. He was kind of a tough, tough guy.. So that was the important thing., They were married in 1979. Its world champion Daron Rahlves. Although he dominated the downhill event in World Cup competition, the overall title remained elusive, because the technical specialists had two events in which to earn points (slalom and giant slalom), whereas a speed specialist had only one. At a trade show in Berlin, he met Vienna filmmaker Jakob Pochlatko of epo-film, a third-generation family-owned production company. In December, 1998, he raced a World Cup super-G on the fabled course. He won a total of 25 World Cup downhills a record Lindsey Vonn broke last year. 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. The modern-day vintage-looking C4s took a little adjustment time. It was an interesting way to showcase his biggest victory. Posted by: DeusxMac Date: July 21, 2021 08:38PM It was a little intimidation factor for the others. Franz was getting treated like a king coming into that race, said Rahlves. We were a team."eattie served as a commentator for ABC Sports coverage of alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics from 1976 to 1988. ski team historian Tom Kelly last . Eight years after Sapporo, La Proell had enjoyed a superb revenge. Alpine Skiing. 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. Their excitement is palpable. They also needed to take what is now an intermediate recreational ski run and transform in into the rough and tumble 1976 downhill. The two became friends. Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck - The Greatest Downhill Run of All Time - FULL UNEDITED!! [] 3. I liked his way of approaching that. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. And I personally think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him down. Possibly yes, he answered with a grin. The other favorites were not as gutsy or crazy. Thats a fun story. They recreated the old start house, put up old course fencing and built a finish area complete with banners and fans in period clothing. We met in Tunisia, in Africa, on the beach, recalled Klammer. After his skiing career, he became a racing driver and raced touring cars until the 1990s. First off, Patscherkofel was quite a placid downhill run compared to the Hahnenkamm. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. Kids call the Jamaican . NEW YORK - Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford has died. No. Bib number 15 moved into the starting gate atop Patscherkofel, high above the Tyrolean village of Innsbruck. 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. The young Austrian Franz Klammer is considered undoubtedly the favourite for the 1976 Olympic downhill race in Innsbruck. Here it is !! Today, Franz Klammer is a paid ambassador for several ski resorts and corporations. Salmina brought in his friend and Hahnankemm race chief Alex Naglich to create the racing environment for the film. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Austrian downhill-skiing star Franz Klammer won 25 races on the World Cup circuit. 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. She was always supporting me. I had seen in training that a few skiers, including Ken Read of Canada, had tested a straighter yet very risky line there. He slid his Fischer C4s back and forth, stretching his legs. 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. Salmina was at Kitzbhel in 2003 the day Rahlves won. He just did it!. Two years later, they moved to Brightwood, Oregon, near Mount Hood, and Johnson later attended Sandy Union High School in Sandy. 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. Their story was truly one for the big screen. Its in the hearts and minds of Austrians its still there. Franz Klammer - 1976 Olympic Gold Medal Run franzweberinc 113 subscribers 509K views 13 years ago The greatest downhill of ALL time! The final event was a parallel slalom and Klammer lost in the first round. [1] The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland. His technique over an icy slope, his jumping skills and his ability to find incredible race lines remain absolutely unique. Im fully ready for Lake Placid; I have enough confidence for the big day, she told me in January after her win at Pfronten in western Bavaria. 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 . Photo caption:Hermann Maiers nickname, the Herminator, was inspired at the 1998 Games by themovie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. 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. What happened next was the creation of a legend. Franz Klammer, a former champion alpine ski racer, has a net worth of $45 million. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. But she was always a huge support from the beginning, sitting always in the background and just being there. 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. Nobody was doing anything. Kids act as sportscasters while watching Franz Klammer's performance at the Olympic Winter Games Insbruck 1976. . The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks. The whole family was sitting in front of the TV. Nearly two hours later, they came back smiling. 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. If anybody could do it, its for sure Hermann, I explained with great optimism. Franz Klammer is an Austrian former Alpine ski racer known for dominating the Downhill skiing discipline. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. Old School. Jean-Claude Killy. To learn more, please visit www.franzweber.com Show. Im extremely happy. The first choice to play the role of Franz was Julian Waldner. 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. So thats the thing, you know?, Last month the two met again at the Zurich Film Festival for a screening of. And so this was, for me, the spark that lit the project. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. When Klammers time at the starting gate came he knew exactly what needed to be done. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. First of all, biopics fail because they are almost like passion plays. 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. ", 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. He won his first aged only 19 in 1973 and including four victories in the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. 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. 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. A dozen years later, Fischer had a strong racing product. A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. 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. Rahlves wasnt even three years old when Klammer won gold. In 1984, Klammer won the downhill at Kitzbhel (Hahnenkammrennen) a record fourth time, after three consecutive wins 1975-1977. To shoot the film, producers literally took over Patscherkofel, taking the revered race course back in time. 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.. 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. 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. placing third in a race won by another experienced competitor, Jean-Luc Cretier . Klammer was just 19 when he burst onto the scene in 1973, skiing to three World Cup podiums. The Klammer story was, well, pretty perfect. Add to that his status as the greatest downhill skier in history, and the annual ski day he hosts in . And that was the main obstacle to tackle before developing a script.. They start for the love of the sport. Viewers will find a film filled with suspense and an endearing love story. Franz Klammer, sterreichischer Skirennlufer und Olympiasieger. To fully understand Annemaries crowning achievement, its important to look back at the 1972 Olympics at Sapporo, Japan. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. 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. It was a huge achievement, as there was so much pressure on him prior to that Olympic race. All the other actors we found they were perfect, said Schmied, lighting up with excitement. It was a huge achievement, as there was so much pressure on him prior to that Olympic race. Like most Austrians, he had a special place in his heart for Franz Klammer. Pepi Fischer was omnipresent, pushing hard to force Klammer to use his new ski. So they took a chance, thinking what if we did a full-length feature film and just focused on one race? We pitched Franz on the idea, said Schmied. 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franz klammer 1976 olympic downhill frank gifford