I remember watching that gold medal run. Berlin-based Picturetree International is managing global distribution. And, it needed a bit of a love story. 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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. 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. Photo caption:Italian superstarAlberto 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. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. Franz Klammer, a former champion alpine ski racer, has a net worth of $45 million. 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. An ABC van brought us from the medal plaza to the Saddledome arena. movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. We discuss out recent trip to Innsbruck, Austria along with Patricia Frommer (Frommers.com, Frommer Guides) who adds her perspective. Ortlieb takes flight over the mens downhill course on his way to winning gold at Albertville. The bad ones are almost like little Franz gets his keys and then hes a teenager. You grow up with it., The most important week in my life! 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. 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. Franz Klammer won only one Olympic medal, but that was the one that mattered - at Innsbruck in 1976. No problem, lets meet tomorrow afternoon, he said. Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. 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. At the end of the race he was going so fast that you could see a difference from the previous skiers. So I won it.. Show more Download Available now 9 minutes Last on Sat 15 Feb 2014. Their excitement is palpable. Klammer had seen many film proposals over the years, but they all hit hurdles. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). They were excited and I knew I won it. Enjoy!! Here it is !! Setting off in bib no. Alpine Skiing Legend Franz Klammer Relives His 1976 Olympic Run | ISOS006. Franz Klammer. Austrian great Franz Klammer says the winner of the men's downhill in . If anybody could do it, its for sure Hermann, I explained with great optimism. Thanks to special accreditations, we were standing right at the rink when Witt started to perform. My mother put me on skis when I was two years old, reminisced Klammer. But they were not attractive. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". The fear of many was that the remarkable success of the Austrian ski racer would get passed by over the generations. In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. What the hell. Chasing the Line, it would have been easy to simply pull archival footage to build a documentary story. 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. 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. After his fourth consecutive season title in downhill in 1978, he began a prolonged slump until the end of the 1981 season. He had super experience in filmmaking. Franz Klammer of Austria. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. She never came to the races. 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. [1] The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland. It was always a big goal for me to be like Franz Klammer. Olympic triumph. A veteran journalist on the world alpine racing circuit recallsmoments of high dramaand humorfrom the Winter Games. Five World Cup downhill crystal globes (most ever for men). He followed him through the day soaking in the cultural experience. Challenge in hand, Pochlatko took the film concept to director and screenwriter Andreas Schmied of Samsara Filmproduktion. Then came the biggest blow. In 1974, he took home World Championship gold in combined at St. Moritz, silver in downhill. In bib no. 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. 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. 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. 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. For others, like Franz Klammer, its about climbing mountains for fun and sliding back down. 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. [1], In an interview with Tom Brokaw that aired on NBC on 13 February 2010, as part of their 2010 Winter Olympics coverage, American Olympian Bode Miller cited Klammer's style and approach to ski racing as a major source of inspiration for him. No. He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a . Your email address will not be published. He suffered disappointment at the Sarajevo Games in 1984 with 10th place, and competed for the last time in March 1985 at Aspen with a World Cup record of 26 wins, 45 podiums and 87 top 10 places. Old School. Franz Klammer In 1976, How the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. 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. But, with Eva, it was immediate. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. In 1975 and 1976 he was the best downhill skier in the world. Chasing the Line is a film about Klammer, it is also a portrayal of skiing, as a sport. I think it put him at a higher level, too, with his own confidence. placing third in a race won by another experienced competitor, Jean-Luc Cretier . The Austrian former champion alpine ski racer dominated the event for four consecutive World Cup seasons and was gold medallist in 1976. [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. Russi vividly recalls the long wait in the finish and the momentum of the crowd that carried Franz Klammer to victory. So I decided to take even more risks.. At 60, Franz Klammer remains a charismatic and ruggedly dishy figure, along Liam Neeson lines. And it meant 100% commitment. 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. 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. Sport Skiing Country Austria Born December 03, 1953 Joined academy 2000 An evolution from wooden skis to fiberglas and metal had swept through the sport. It was a brilliant lifetime story of a young boy who had stunning athletic success. Above: Maier on the GS course in Nagano. Klammer, the 1976 Olympic downhill gold medalist, said he had idolized Sailer, telling the Austria Press Agency, "As a small boy, I wanted to be just like him." Newsweek wrote in 1996 that. 15, a yellow suit, red shoes and a red helmet with a white stripe, Klammer set off to shouting from the crowd. Tim also talked directly to Arnie, who asked him for Maiers phone number. We were hardly breathing. 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. Klammer won every downhill in the 1975 season, except Megve, where one of his skis came off. Frank Gifford called this event and he nailed it. Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck - The Greatest Downhill Run of All Time - FULL UNEDITED!! Schmied literally grew up with the Klammer legend. Tomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. Sign up for your one-time free trial issue of, when Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in the, downhill. I am not a skiing fan. 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. 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