The legendary skier Franz Klammer. 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. He was the overwhelming favorite for Gold with the home crowd there to watch. Schranz didnt want to leave Japan alone and he put pressure on the entire team to fly back home with him. Franz Klammer. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. 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. Behind that, though, is a true love story that contributed to his athletic success. 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. 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. In many ways, Klammer was an unlikely champion. He was kind of a tough, tough guy.. In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. 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. 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 . Enter 22-year old Franz Klammer. 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. 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. 1- 1980 USA vs USSR Olympic Hockey Game. Sport Skiing Country Austria Born December 03, 1953 Joined academy 2000 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. 3, he performed pretty well and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:46.06, giving him the lead. A veteran journalist on the world alpine racing circuit recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Winter Games. Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. In the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, the stakes rose. Media coverage was moving into a golden era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars. definitely," said the 1976 Olympic champion, whose name is still synonymous with the glamour and danger of Alpine ski . 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. He watches every ski race men and women. Im a passionate skier myself. Franz Klammer, Austrian Alpine skier who specialized in the downhill event, winning 25 World Cup downhill races in his career. A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). 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. ago I remember being a kid seeing this live and thinking how close to death he pushed himself. As a sportscaster Mr. Beattie was renowned for his call, with Frank Gifford, of the Austrian Franz Klammer's gold medal-winning downhill race at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck,. The final event was a parallel slalom and Klammer lost in the first round. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. Klammer was just 19 when he burst onto the scene in 1973, skiing to three World Cup podiums. Another surprise was revealed later when my father, World Cup founder Serge Lang, intrigued by Patricks last name, discovered that he was a double national: Austrian, as he was born in that country from an Austrian mother, but also French through his dad, a cook from Alsace, who had emigrated to Lech to work, raise a family and run the Montana Hotel there. Once more, it was Draggan, working then for CBS, who set up the encounter in a nice restaurant in the French resort. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. Nobody was doing anything. Every set of Austrian eyes were tuned in to ORF across the far corners of the land. Ever since I can remember, I have been on skis. Its in the hearts and minds of Austrians its still there. Its about skiing to school each day, always enjoying that feeling of sliding on snow. 1. A fan of the Klagenfurt ice hockey team KAC, Klammer liked the film. He was on the edge the entire trip down the hill, several times he looked like he was out of control and going to wreck. The third racer on the course, he finished 0.33 seconds behind Franz Klammer of Austria, who started fifteenth, the last of This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. Didier Cuche won his fifth Hahnenkamm last January. Many of the top guns failed to control their line in the tricky parts of the course. 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. ", 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. 2 Years of Sipping Sports A Sip of Sports. He just went down the straight line which normally everybody said its just impossible, you cant stand this. The crowd went nuts as the announcers in ABCs commentator boothFrank Gifford, Bob Beattie and their special host Jackie Stewart, the former Formula One world car-racing championtold the world the results. I thought, thats a fun thing just to make a film with one week from my life, he said. 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. 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. The Austrian nation would accept nothing short of a Gold as they hosted the World. February 18 Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983 twice more than the next best downhiller. He just did it!. They were at my grandparents (house) and they watched the race with the neighbors. Franz everyone knows him!, In his heart, Kresse believed in the story. 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. We were hardly breathing. Sunday, February 26 2023 Breaking News. 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 think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. It was an interesting way to showcase his biggest victory. Two years later, bothTomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. His yellow racing suit wasnt as crisp and flashy as the other golden Austrian uniforms. Ironically, it wasnt his first visit to the little-used speed course on Patscherkofel. Thanks for bringing that memory back. We would watch a lot of film and I had to put it in my head that I had to ski out of control and make these little mistakes everywhere., Before every ski scene, as Rahlves was examining the run in his mind, the director would scream at him, Daron, no, no, no, you got to ski Klammer style, Klammer style out of control.. It turned out that powerful skiers could exit the turns with amazing acceleration, a situation that caused some spectacular crashes. He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. I knew that Daron understood how Klammer was skiing, said Salmina. As the lowest seed in 15th position, his task of bringing home . Possibly yes, he answered with a grin. Viewers will find a film filled with suspense and an endearing love story. He is not only legendary as a skier, hes just a very great person.. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. 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. We go for a beer and some nice talks, said Mayer. We should do a feature on it with Arnold, he said. Newspaper. 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. Chasing the Line presented new challenges he hadnt faced in producing Streif, which took viewers inside the minds of downhillers who threw themselves fearlessly into the Mausefalle. Franzs wife said, no, sorry, that is not a story.. In skiing, its the Swiss Alps and the Austrian Alps that define the sport. 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. But they were not attractive. 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. Mittermaier is married to fellow pro skier Christian Neureuther, and their son, Felix Neureuther, is also a pro skier. In December, 1998, he raced a World Cup super-G on the fabled course. It was a huge achievement, as there was so much pressure on him prior to that Olympic race. So I changed the line completely. 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). Amazingly, the victory comes eight years after his Olympic Games victory in Innsbruck. 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. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Austrian downhill-skiing star Franz Klammer won 25 races on the World Cup circuit. The screams of thousands of spectators must have been heard for miles. He was 21st on a day where Austria swept the first nine places behind winner Hermann Maier. Italy's Gustav Thni defeated Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in the finals and won his fourth overall title in five years. 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. And then I completely changed the line. Everyone got nervous after defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi from Switzerland set the best time after a nearly flawless run. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". 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. 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 . Originals 01:52. Challenge in hand, Pochlatko took the film concept to director and screenwriter Andreas Schmied of Samsara Filmproduktion. The project really came to us with a big burden, said Schmied, echoing Pochlatkos concerns. At a trade show in Berlin, he met Vienna filmmaker Jakob Pochlatko of epo-film, a third-generation family-owned production company. 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. While much can be said about fame, few superstar ski racers started their careers just to seek glory. Racing skis had changed appreciably. So, the necessary conflict was born. He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. Franz Klammer has a height of 6'0" (1.83 m). He didnt and he won the gold medal. What happened next was the creation of a legend. Chasing the Line screenplay does a masterful job in capturing the pressure he felt that week. 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. The game was the final tuneup for Team USA before the Winter Olympics at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Feb. 7-19. Franz Klammers 1976 Olympic Downhill. I think he won for everybody, you know? 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. In 1984, Klammer won the downhill at Kitzbhel (Hahnenkammrennen) a record fourth time, after three consecutive wins 1975-1977. [citation needed] He is known as "The Kaiser" and also as the "Klammer Express. Klammer spoke for all skiers in one of the final scenes. 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. He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. I had to look into it is there even a movie there? he said. As expected, Russi put down a solid run to take the lead. 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. 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. So I really wanted to give the audience a real feel for the people in the story.. One of the most important things I got out of sport were friendships, said Klammer. 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). To film with authenticity, producers had new equipment manufactured to make it look old. Schmied literally grew up with the Klammer legend. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. 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. 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.. At the finish line, Franz Klammer started by looking at the huge crowd. 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. 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. 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? And then I came down. 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. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer Innsbruck 1976 | Olympic Winter games. I was fourteen and was at a friends house. 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 the skating star didnt meet Alberto afterwards. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). Yet Franz fought hard to stay on line, his arms wheeling in the air while approaching the last turns. 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. 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. Memorable Moments. One of them had also briefly mentioned The Herminator, a combination of his first name and the invincible Terminator movie character, played by another Austrian legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Franz is a testimonial for skiing, said Kresse. He nearly went down on the first curve, but saved it on one ski. The Swiss favorite came in third this time, behind Moser-Proell and silver medalist Hanni Wenzel, who took gold in slalom and GS. 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. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. 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. The Klammer story was, well, pretty perfect. Above: Maier on the GS course in Nagano. Even his coaches were tense. And she says, well, what are you doing? I said, well, Im skiing. Are you winning something? she says. Your email address will not be published. Franz Klammer won only one Olympic medal, but that was the one that mattered - at Innsbruck in 1976. The media were omnipresent. It was just the idea of making something about Franz Klammer., But Pochlatko also saw the challenge. Bernhard and I, we are really close friends and appreciate each others company. Originals 01:56. Tim also talked directly to Arnie, who asked him for Maiers phone number. Franz KLAMMER. 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. And that was the main obstacle to tackle before developing a script.. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. Klammer's gold-medal-winning downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics was anything but dull. Franz Klammer won the Downhill skiing event in 4 consecutive World Cup seasons from 1975 to 1978. I think it is the most exciting Olympics event I've ever seen. (Due to the high cost of postage, this offer is limited to North American residents only.). 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. Only a few months later, Franz told me how he managed to clinch that title after his fantastic run. 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. Finally in December 1981, after another ski change from Kneissl to Blizzard, he won at Val-d'Isre. 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. She never came to the races. 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. An evolution from wooden skis to fiberglas and metal had swept through the sport. What the hell. The Austrian set an impressive record of 62 victories and 115 podium finishes on the World Cup tour in only 175 competitions. One of his early moves was to position Fischer as an elite ski product, investing in racing and having the good fortune in 1964 of Austrian Egon Zimmermann winning downhill gold on Patscherkofel on Fischer skis, vaulting the small company into the spotlight. 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. The FULL unedited original legendary run of. Two years later, they moved to Brightwood, Oregon, near Mount Hood, and Johnson later attended Sandy Union High School in Sandy. She may soon compete on the World Cup tour. Note: I don't have a model release for this subject 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. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. The blow-by-blow delivered over the PA system didnt help their nervesKlammer was behind the leaders at the intermediate times. He would finish as the top downhill skier a record five times (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983). His company BioramaSports.com produces the Ski World Cup Guide and provides TV stations with reports from the World Cup circuit. To learn more, please visit www.franzweber.com Show. Enjoy!! 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. 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. 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