He was kind of a tough, tough guy.. But the most important week in my life! Thats what I liked.. Kids call the Jamaican . 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. Chasing the Line is palpable. [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]. A dozen years later, Fischer had a strong racing product. Klammer started racing at the relatively late age of 14, competing in the winter whilst working on the family farm during the summer after he dropped out of school. She fought for her rights, yet lost focus and energy during the intense political battle. In the summer of 1975, in the lead-up to the Olympics, the Austrian team held a training camp in Tunisia where he coincidentally met a young girl from Vienna. 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? But, with Eva, it was immediate. Nearly two hours later, they came back smiling. 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. February 18 All the other actors we found they were perfect, said Schmied, lighting up with excitement. And hes still a big hero today., Mayer echoed the pride of his Austrian state. 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. I went all the way up to the top. 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. Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria..who overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup sea. ! Whether I win it or crash, there was nothing in between. Hermann Maier. A huge crowd had amassed along the edge of the piste and at the finish line for the star event at the Innsbruck Games. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). 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. This one was different. He did all the action shots, said Schmied. I hope it lasts forever., Storyline in hand, casting the right actors became the next challenge. He didnt and he won the gold medal. Others had tried to make a film about Franz Klammer for quite some time and nobody quite got it correct. The Austrian had become a hero in his country after having won a dozen downhill races in previous seasons. Jean-Claude Killy. Franz Klammer is an Austrian former Alpine ski racer known for dominating the Downhill skiing discipline. He followed him through the day soaking in the cultural experience. Thanks to special accreditations, we were standing right at the rink when Witt started to perform. Olymipc downhill champion 1976 (Innsbruck). 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. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. In a quick one-camera interview I made with him later on, he added, Ill be back!, During one of our early morning production meetings at the CBS office at Hakuba, I discussed Hermanns chance to excel in the Super G with play-by-play announcer Tim Ryan. To learn more, please visit www.franzweber.com Show. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. 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. 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. First off, Patscherkofel was quite a placid downhill run compared to the Hahnenkamm. As we approached her, Mueller, who recognized Tomba and might have read about his wish to meet her protg, pushed Katarina into another room, so she wouldnt be distracted by the handsome Italian playboy. 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. Klammer won every downhill in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of his skis came off. I cant believe it, he has been amazing! Stewart said. 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. Nobody was doing anything. He won 4 more times in 1976 leading up to the Olympics. Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983 twice more than the next best downhiller. 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. Chasing the Line screenplay does a masterful job in capturing the pressure he felt that week. Downhill courses are the monsters of alpine skiing: 9,000-foot-long beasts with steep pitches that combine to build tremendous speed. The steep and sinuous La Face course at Val dIsre, France, which was built in the late 1980s by Switzerlands Bernhard Russi, the 1972 mens downhill Olympic champion, launched an unexpected revolution in the sport. Few past stars of ski sport command attention today like Franz Klammer. He won the gold medal in the downhill event at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Add to that his status as the greatest downhill skier in history, and the annual ski day he hosts in . He would win 31 downhills in World Cup competition. While Klammer had been consistent in his success on the skis, Fischer and his team had innovated a new product. Having followed her career since her first victory in 1970, it was electrifying to hug her after the press conferencea record-setting athlete who had become a good friend. 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. Im a passionate skier myself. Safety had increased. The Italian skier, closely followed by a crew from a U.S. network, was proudly wearing his two Olympic gold medals around his neck. Franz Klammer was Sportsman of the Year in Austria three times: 1975, 1976 and 1983.. I wanted to make a film. Ill never forget how we all erupted when he crossed the finish line. And, once again, Rahlves found himself on page one of the local Tiroler Tageszeitung. We all just knew he was going to crash. This article first appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Skiing History magazine. 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. He won for the nation, for every Austrian skier. Championships in Schladming in February 2013. School playgrounds were quiet and the capital of Vienna was empty. Andreas and Elisabeth Schied found both. Bib number 15 moved into the starting gate atop Patscherkofel, high above the Tyrolean village of Innsbruck. I liked his way of approaching that. He is not only legendary as a skier, hes just a very great person.. 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. Franz legendary race was one month before I was born, he said. Just past halfway he nearly went off the course, but he kept picking up speed, reaching near 80 miles per hour at the bottom of the course. Every set of Austrian eyes were tuned in to ORF across the far corners of the land. 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. An ABC van brought us from the medal plaza to the Saddledome arena. That honor went to a little-known Austrian from Lech, Patrick Ortlieb, who had never won a major event. 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. I had to ski out of control and make these little mistakes everywhere. He had a few interesting moments, skis up against the old picket fence, but never any really close calls. . And the two met that night at The Londoner forging both a friendship and a partnership in telling the story of ski racing that has spanned nearly two decades. 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. 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. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. Ill call him.. Thats how I won that day., Photo caption:The race course was rough and the pressure was onwhen Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in thedownhill. Above: Maier on the GS course in Nagano. 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. So I changed the line completely. He was a troubled youth who began competitive skiing on nearby Mount . A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. Where to find Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck downhill video? I gave him the local phone number of Austrias media coordinator, who did receive a call from Idaho after Hermanns amazing comeback in Super G. Schwarzenegger was so impressed by Hermanns triumph and his funny nickname that he wanted to speak to him. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). It was always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer. And what are you doing? Im studying medicine. And that was all we talked about. In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. Franz is a testimonial for skiing, said Kresse. Your email address will not be published. 1. As I approached it, I made a last-second decision to go for it instead of following my usual rounder line. Tim also talked directly to Arnie, who asked him for Maiers phone number. We were lucky to get him here.. Curling. In 1984, Klammer won the downhill at Kitzbhel (Hahnenkammrennen) a record fourth time, after three consecutive wins 1975-1977. The fear of many was that the remarkable success of the Austrian ski racer would get passed by over the generations. He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. At the finish line, Franz Klammer started by looking at the huge crowd. I had seen in training that a few skiers, including Ken Read of Canada, had tested a straighter yet very risky line there. Newspaper. The best example is Austrias Hermann Maier, one of the greatest personalities in alpine ski racing. The two nations ski teams are two of the fiercest rivals in the sporting world. The love story proved to be a real one, focusing on the role of Klammers now wife of 42 years, Eva. The following season he regained the World Cup Downhill title, his fifth, followed by the 1984 victory at Kitzbuehel, his fourth on the Hahnenkamm. 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. They recreated the old start house, put up old course fencing and built a finish area complete with banners and fans in period clothing. Im extremely happy. But Kresse, a notable figure in marketing, found it hard to bring his dream to closure. What the hell. He knew what was necessary to show and not to over act. Chasing the Line, it would have been easy to simply pull archival footage to build a documentary story. 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. It was totally, totally quiet. 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. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. We discuss out recent trip to Innsbruck, Austria along with Patricia Frommer (Frommers.com, Frommer Guides) who adds her perspective. After beating Collombin and Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz and Wengen. 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. The pressure intensified again when Klammer drew the 15th spot for his Olympic run. I knew I only had a small chance to win, hetold the author. Franz Klammer won the Downhill skiing event in 4 consecutive World Cup seasons from 1975 to 1978. 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. Darren Glen 1.1M views 3 years ago Frank Gifford discusses covering Franz Klammer's Olympic. And there is this one teacher who says, follow your dreams, or whatever. TRY A 1-YR INTRODUCTORY MEMBERSHIP IN ISHA! 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.. 1976 and 1983 soaking in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of fiercest! 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