Franz Klammer is an Austrian former Alpine ski racer known for dominating the Downhill skiing discipline. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. 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. And Klammer was winning big on its C4 skis. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer. Klammer has been married to his wife, Eva, since 1979: the couple met in 1975 when he was in Tunisia at a fitness camp with the Austrian ski team. She was one of the first people who came in and she just blew me away, said Schmied. Klammer's 1:45.73 was more than thirty-two seconds faster. 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. And there was only one leftit was Franz Klammer. Russi continued; Franz Klammer was in the starting gate. They were at my grandparents (house) and they watched the race with the neighbors. In many ways, Klammer was an unlikely champion. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (197578). Alberto 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. 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. 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. I knew that Franz Klammer his victory and his legend basically would be enough to sell the movie on his name and this emotional story. The FULL unedited original legendary run of Franz Klammer at the 1976 Innsbruck Olymps! She was always supporting me. Alone together after the race, Eva looked into Franzs eyes and asked him: Did you always want to be famous? He responds simply: Story behind Franz Klammers historic 1976 downhill gold, Chris Sarandon could play iconic role in Book of Tobit film , Oscars 2022: Denmark aims for second consecutive win with festival favourite Flee | News, House Bill 232 Polling place prohibitions Idaho Freedom Idaho Freedom Foundation, Capitalist profiteering and competition why are shelves empty? Franz Klammer - Free download as Text File (.txt), PDF File (.pdf) or read online for free. Memorable Moments. 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 Franz Klammer gets police protection from an enthusiastic crowd after his victory. 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. But in that year, 1975, I had won all the World Cup races. It was just the idea of making something about Franz Klammer., But Pochlatko also saw the challenge. I think he is skiing right now at Sun Valley and I know his ski instructor. All Rights Reserved. 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. Andreas dug into the story with his wife Elisabeth, a former journalist who is now a screenwriter and novelist. Russi was beaten by 33 hundredths of a second. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). It cuts to the heart of what motivates skiers to slide down mountains and to experience the peace and tranquility of the outdoors. Do you feel like you've ever designed a downhill course that was too dangerous? . Salmina was at Kitzbhel in 2003 the day Rahlves won. 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. While Klammers Olympic spot was fixed, his teammates were battling for start rights in training. Synopsis: Barely 22, Franz Klammer finds himself at the "eye of the storm" when he shows up for the men's downhill competition at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. Chasing the Line. They shared an embrace, some laughs and watched a film that showcased the sport that formed the DNA of their lives on snow. Klammer would go on to have an unprecedented career. But the most important week in my life! His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. Ill call him.. They also brought the 1976 downhill race course back to life, albeit with machine grooming to make it a bit more racer friendly. 2 Years of Sipping Sports A Sip of Sports. Second in the season-long battle for the downhill crystal globe in 1973, he turned up the heat in 1975 winning eight World Cup downhills and taking the season title. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. The 51 minute-documentary Klammer gegen Russi - Das Rennen ihres Lebens from film director Michael Bhler will be available on Play Suisse from 4 February and broadcasted tonight on SRF 1 at 20:05. Thats what I liked.. He also called other sports. Media coverage was moving into a golden era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars. I spoke about it with ABC studio producer Draggan Mihailovich, a Tomba fan, who organized the journey. The Swiss favorite came in third this time, behind Moser-Proell and silver medalist Hanni Wenzel, who took gold in slalom and GS. The whole family was sitting in front of the TV. He was adorable. 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. Her last victoryin the Olympic downhill at Lake Placid in 1980was particularly emotional and a great story, too. 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. They also required more feeling from the racers, who needed to steer them continuously from the entrance to the exit of each turn. 1. When I told my mother that Im doing this film, she said all these memories came up. Klammer's gold-medal-winning downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics was anything but dull. There was plenty of passion and experience with Salmina, whose Mount St. Elias and Streif were captivating works. After his fourth consecutive season title in downhill in 1978, he began a prolonged slump until the end of the 1981 season. Bernhard and I, we are really close friends and appreciate each others company. 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 . I worked as a ski instructor when I was a student. They recreated the old start house, put up old course fencing and built a finish area complete with banners and fans in period clothing. The media were omnipresent. And I personally think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him down. The best example is Austrias Hermann Maier, one of the greatest personalities in alpine ski racing. Whether I win it or crash, there was nothing in between. 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. Klammer spoke for all skiers in one of the final scenes. Unable to make the four-member Austrian downhill team for the 1980 Olympics, Klammer could not defend his Olympic title at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Required fields are marked *. 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. To fully understand Annemaries crowning achievement, its important to look back at the 1972 Olympics at Sapporo, Japan. Hes loved by everybody and he had an amazing career. 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. When Klammers time at the starting gate came he knew exactly what needed to be done. 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. This is where most biopics fail. The pressure intensified again when Klammer drew the 15th spot for his Olympic run. He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. She may soon compete on the World Cup tour. The next day, Tomba finished a strong second in a slalom dominated by Norways Finn Jagge. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. A dozen years earlier on the same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win the gold medal. Franz Klammer, (born Dec. 3, 1953, Mooswald, Austria), Austrian Alpine skier who specialized in the downhill event, winning 25 World Cup downhill races in his career. His technique over an icy slope, his jumping skills and his ability to find incredible race lines remain absolutely unique. He followed him through the day soaking in the cultural experience. 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. Its about skiing to school each day, always enjoying that feeling of sliding on snow. This can only be described as a Kamikaze run on the edge of suicide. The nickname became particularly apt after he survived his spectacular flight, several meters above the slope, and the post-landing cartwheels in soft snow. Franz is a testimonial for skiing, said Kresse. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. Olympic triumph. The FULL unedited original legendary run of. I hope it lasts forever., Storyline in hand, casting the right actors became the next challenge. The next one minute, 45.73 seconds would change Franz Klammers life forever. The 1976 Olympic downhill was arguably the most anticipated Winter Olympic event in history a matchup with the veteran, defending gold medalist Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, and the upstart young Austrian farm boy Franz Klammer. Each competitor who followed failed to best his time, until there was only one skier left who was capable of beating him: Franz Klammer. I made a huge jump and thought I would crash, yet I managed to survive and land on my skis. 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. Finally in December 1981, after another ski change from Kneissl to Blizzard, he won at Val-d'Isre. The risk was too great and the snow was wrong. Klammer said. Franz KLAMMER. He took over after the sudden death of his father in 1959. The antagonist role was cast with Fischer Skis owner Josef Pepi Fischer, the second-generation owner of the famed Austrian ski company. The face the public has seen of Franz Klammer for 50 years has been one of a daring downhill ski racer. His formidable appearance, his determination on the slopes, and his numerous victories in the weeks prior to his trip to Japan had led reporters to use rougher nicknames, like The Beast, which Maier didnt like at all. 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. At the last Olympics in Nagano, after a five-day delay, Trinkl was the only Austrian to win a medal in the downhill. Sign up for your one-time free trial issue of, when Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in the, downhill. Possibly yes, he answered with a grin. The 1974-75 winter was practically perfect for Kaiser . 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. Austria in February 2013. The Austrian former champion alpine ski racer dominated the event for four consecutive World Cup seasons and was gold medallist in 1976. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). I couldnt stop thinking about it. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". 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. Kids call the Jamaican . After his 1978 World Cup win, Klammer's performances stagnated for several years, not winning a World Cup race until 1981. But Kresse, a notable figure in marketing, found it hard to bring his dream to closure. It will premiere Oct. 26 in Villach, Austria, near Klammers childhood home of Mooswald. 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. A veteran journalist on the world alpine racing circuit recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Winter Games. 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. I remember watching it live on TV as a kid and it was an electrifying performance. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. At 60, Franz Klammer remains a charismatic and ruggedly dishy figure, along Liam Neeson lines. She fought for her rights, yet lost focus and energy during the intense political battle. 1,154,848 views Dec 13, 2018 Finally!! And she is still playing one of the most important roles in my life. 01:59. ! The other challenge faced by Rahlves was the need to intentionally ski out of control. When casting ski racing doubles for Klammer, Salmina turned to his longtime friend Rahlves. With the original incredible commentary by ABC USA broadcasters Frank Gifford and Bob Beattie. movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. 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 . As expected, Russi put down a solid run to take the lead. Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback. Thanks for bringing that memory back. His tiny village of Mooswald, north of Villach, was situated in the mountains but without a ski lift. Right: Schwarzenegger and Maier. He was from Carinthia, the right age, almost the right build, he won a couple of ski races when he was a boy. 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.. It would also usher in a new era of ski racing as a global sport while hundreds of millions of viewers watched his Klammer Style run to Olympic gold. Franz Klammer. 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. Two-time world champion and former alpine ski racer who dominated the four consecutive seasons of the World Cup in the downhill event, Standing aloof as the extraordinary defining rider in an alpine ski Franz Klammer protrudes among those alpine ski heroes. So his knowledge bank on Klammer comes from the legend and from the longstanding friendship hes had with him. Russi traced a new type of downhill that required great technical skills from athletes and a high level of performance from their skis. Franz Klammer, a former champion alpine ski racer, has a net worth of $45 million. Racing skis had changed appreciably. Annemarie Moser-Proell dominated her time as no other skier before and after her. There is Schladming in Austria, where crowds of 30,000 or more stand along its wild drop-off schuss to the finish. It was totally, totally quiet. Game 6 of the 1975 World Series Reds v. Red Sox 4. For others, like Franz Klammer, its about climbing mountains for fun and sliding back down. No lift, no nothing. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. I liked his way of approaching that. Others had tried to make a film about Franz Klammer for quite some time and nobody quite got it correct. The Italian skier, closely followed by a crew from a U.S. network, was proudly wearing his two Olympic gold medals around his neck. 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. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. "The most important victory for a downhiller is Kitzbuhel because in my opinion it's the most complete race," Austrian legend Franz Klammer, the 1976 Olympic downhill champion, told CNN Sport.