It was always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer. ^ Klammer was an alternate on the 1980 team and did not compete. One of the most important things I got out of sport were friendships, said Klammer. And I personally think there is somewhere that power from spectators they can pull him down. I said to myself, Franz, now you have to do something because youre going to lose, he said. The Klammer story was, well, pretty perfect. 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. This one turn, in the lower part, it changed my entire life, said Klammer. Klammer won every downhill in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of his skis came off. He approached me to ask if I had a concept on how to make a film about Franz Klammer, said Pochlatko. Swiss favorite Bernhard Russi, who two years earlier had won Olympic gold in Sapporo, was 13th. But young Franz loved the snow, skiing to school in the winter and climbing up hills on his own to come racing back down. 14/11/2009 LICENCE: Creative Commons. 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. Klammer came into the 1976 Olympics with three straight World Cup downhill wins and back-to-back Hahnenkamm titles. He followed him through the day soaking in the cultural experience. Even his coaches were tense. 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. Salmina brought in his friend and Hahnankemm race chief Alex Naglich to create the racing environment for the film. Yet Franz fought hard to stay on line, his arms wheeling in the air while approaching the last turns. After his 1978 World Cup win, Klammer's performances stagnated for several years, not winning a World Cup race until 1981. I remember the race we were in the living room watching on TV in black and white, said Salmina, who was 11 at the time. He was two-tenths of a second behind Russi. Olymipc downhill champion 1976 (Innsbruck). They also brought the 1976 downhill race course back to life, albeit with machine grooming to make it a bit more racer friendly. He didnt and he won the gold medal. 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. 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. Hes one of the very few persons who seemed to do everything right. Franz KLAMMER. From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing. Franz Klammer records his fourth victory on the famed Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria. The last, 11 years later in 1984, at the age of 30, is worthy of a second movie. For days everyone talked about that thrilling ski run. [citation needed]. The FULL unedited original legendary run of Franz Klammer at the 1976 Innsbruck Olymps! I knew I only had a small chance to win, hetold the author. I really was happy of course, and relieved, that I did my greatest race, or my most important run. And he took a three-win streak, including his second straight Hahnenkamm win, into the Olympics. Austrian great Franz Klammer says the winner of the men's downhill in . She was one of the first people who came in and she just blew me away, said Schmied. Russi had won the 1972 Olympic Gold Medal in Sapporo, Japan. 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. His technique over an icy slope, his jumping skills and his ability to find incredible race lines remain absolutely unique. Right: Schwarzenegger and Maierat the FIS Alpine WorldChampionships in Schladming in February 2013. At the finish line, Franz Klammer started by looking at the huge crowd. Hoping for a low start number in the draw, Klammer drew 15 last in the top seed. In a statement released by NBC News on Sunday, his family said Gifford died suddenly at his Connecticut home of. He is a member of the Skiing History magazine editorial board. 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. He watches every ski race men and women. I asked my father and he said \"i have it somewhere on one of my old VHS tapes im sure of it\" and we did a long extensive search and found it! Starting in 15th position, Klammer was the last of the top seeds and knew that Russi had set a blistering pace to lead by over a half-second. Bobsleigh. Then came the biggest blow. Klammer was just 19 when he burst onto the scene in 1973, skiing to three World Cup podiums. In 1990, Klammer won a round of the prestigious European Touring Car Championship. Franz is a testimonial for skiing, said Kresse. 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. 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. . Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. So I changed the line completely. All Rights Reserved. On race day, she stayed laser-focused as she made her way down the course, despite strong gusts of wind that disturbed some of her main rivals, including Nadig. They start for the love of the sport. Their finish line embrace at Patscherkofel in 1976 was heartfelt and forged a bond between the two rivals each Olympic downhill champions. The fear of many was that the remarkable success of the Austrian ski racer would get passed by over the generations. Everyone knows the Kaiser. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). During the evening, Witt expressed her desire to ski once with Alberto, who had just collected his third Olympic title in giant slalom at Val dIsre. During the call, he also invited Maier to visit him next spring in Los Angeles. 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. 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 won the famous (and notorious) Hahnenkamm downhill four times. At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. Three years ago, Kresse tried one more time. 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 liked his way of approaching that. Her last victoryin the Olympic downhill at Lake Placid in 1980was particularly emotional and a great story, too. At the last Olympics in Nagano, after a five-day delay, Trinkl was the only Austrian to win a medal in the downhill. The first choice to play the role of Franz was Julian Waldner. ! It was an interesting way to showcase his biggest victory. He did all the action shots, said Schmied. Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria..who overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup sea. It was totally, totally quiet. 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. 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. 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. Franz Klammer recalls, By the time I walked into the starting gate, I knew I am going to win. I always had this feeling in the starting gate. In fact, the course contributed to new technology in ski construction, ultimately leading to the parabolic shaped skis now used by most recreational skiers. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. The two nations ski teams are two of the fiercest rivals in the sporting world. The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks. Sep 26, 2013 - This is nearly the entire Franz Klammer Gold Medal Run from the Innsbruck Winter Olympics of 1976. No lift, no nothing. When Klammers time at the starting gate came he knew exactly what needed to be done. I am not a skiing fan. 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. 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. To film with authenticity, producers had new equipment manufactured to make it look old. Posted by: DeusxMac Date: July 21, 2021 08:38PM Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. We had really long talks about how the movie should be filmed. He won his first aged only 19 in 1973 and including four victories in the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel. Originals 01:56. Klammer would go on to have an unprecedented career. 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. 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. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Franz Klammer interview: 'Ski racing is my life and I wanted to do it no matter what', Olympic champions in alpine skiing men's downhill, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Franz_Klammer&oldid=1117287064, Alpine skiers at the 1976 Winter Olympics, Alpine skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, Australian Endurance Championship drivers, Articles with German-language sources (de), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from July 2022, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles using sports links with data from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. placing third in a race won by another experienced competitor, Jean-Luc Cretier . 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. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Austrian downhill-skiing star Franz Klammer won 25 races on the World Cup circuit. Franz Klammer was Sportsman of the Year in Austria three times: 1975, 1976 and 1983.. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. Posted by: Dennis S Date: July 21, 2021 08:34PM Frank Gifford called the race for ABC. 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. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. A Silver was not an option to the Austrians, especially to lose on their home field against their most important rival. And then I completely changed the line. 1999 - 2019 Skiing History. Just the idea of making a film about Franz Klammer is not very easy from a filmmakers perspective, he said. And that was the main obstacle to tackle before developing a script.. Klammer's 1:45.73 was more than thirty-two seconds faster. I had seen in training that a few skiers, including Ken Read of Canada, had tested a straighter yet very risky line there. The preceding ski season had been terrific, too, as big crowds closely followed Italys unpredictable phenomenon Alberto Tomba, who was dominating the World Cup that season with six victories and a second place standing in the technical events. Klammer's gold-medal-winning downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics was anything but dull. Two years later, bothTomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. Like most Austrians, he had a special place in his heart for Franz Klammer. Patrick Lang, the son of World Cup founder Serge Lang, has covered 11 Winter Olympics since 1972 and has written about ski racing for dozens of media outlets. 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. And still, he does everything right! To understand the 1976 Olympic downhill, you need to look back a few years in time. So I decided to take even more risks than I had planned, especially in the Ochsenschlag section. Plus historical audio featuring ABC sportscaster Frank Gifford on the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics and the gold medal Franz Klammer downhill run that inspired this trip. The bad ones are almost like little Franz gets his keys and then hes a teenager. He was always going for the victory. After his victories, Alberto told me hed be pleased to watch East Germanys attractive superstar Katarina Witt competing at the ice arena in Calgary. 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