Russi was beaten by 33 hundredths of a second. 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. That December, he kicked off the 1973-74 World Championship year with the first of his 25 World Cup downhill wins claiming a victory in Schladming. We were hardly breathing. I watch it every four years at the Olympics but Klammers run is on my Mount Rushmore of Most Exciting Events I have seen in nearly 50 years of watching sports. Klammer created The Franz Klammer Foundation which benefits seriously injured athletes in honor of his brother. I said to myself, Franz, now you have to do something because youre going to lose, he said. But I knew I had to risk everything. 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 two became friends. They start for the love of the sport. The film portrays little glory for Franz in the hours and day after the race. Do you feel like you've ever designed a downhill course that was too dangerous? The antagonist role was cast with Fischer Skis owner Josef Pepi Fischer, the second-generation owner of the famed Austrian ski company. Associated Press Russi calls the race, which was featured in the recently released film "Chasing the Line,". 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. I think that was one of my strengths just to improvise.. Don't forget this was 1976. Russi vividly recalls the long wait in the finish and the momentum of the crowd that carried Franz Klammer to victory. It will premiere Oct. 26 in Villach, Austria, near Klammers childhood home of Mooswald. The course was rougher when a nervous Klammer pushed himself out of the starting hut. He has worked as a designer of Olympic ski runs since 1988. After beating Collombin and Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz and Wengen. Originals 01:52. 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 . 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. He slid his Fischer C4s back and forth, stretching his legs. But the most important week in my life! Swiss favorite Bernhard Russi, who two years earlier had won Olympic gold in Sapporo, was 13th. Fischer, who passed in 2020 at the age of 90, had been known as a hard-driving, innovative ski industry leader. And that was the main obstacle to tackle before developing a script.. 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 movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the original incredible commentary by ABC USA broadcasters Frank Gifford and Bob Beattie. The 1974-75 winter was practically perfect for Kaiser . This was the man standing between Klammer had his Gold Medal. I worked as a ski instructor when I was a student. Nov 4, 2009 #2 Warp Daddy Active member Joined Jan 12, 2006 Like most Austrians, he had a special place in his heart for Franz Klammer. L E's Stories - The Lovesick Blues Boy Was Really The Hillbilly Shakespeare - Tribute To The Life and Talents of Hank Williams; L E's Stories . His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. 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. 1 mo. Above: Maier on the GS course in Nagano. And, once again, Rahlves found himself on page one of the local Tiroler Tageszeitung. NEW YORK - Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford has died. 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 Eva, they went with a young actress from Vienna, Valerie Huber. He became famous in 1998 after clinching two Olympic gold medalsin Super G and GSat Nagano despite a horrific crash in downhill. Klammer and Strobl became lifelong friends, sharing a hunting lodge in late September before the films debut in Zurich. 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. Everyone got nervous after defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi from Switzerland set the best time after a nearly flawless run. Franz Klammer's Gold Medal Run - Innsbruck 1976 Dish Waterhands 111 subscribers 188K views 13 years ago This is nearly the entire Franz Klammer Gold Medal Run from the Innsbruck Winter. Franz Klammer gets police protection from an enthusiastic crowd after his victory. The media were omnipresent. 2-The Thrilla In Manila- Ali V Frazier III 3. The best example is Austrias Hermann Maier, one of the greatest personalities in alpine ski racing. 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. He had won the pre-Olympic downhill on Patscherkofel over Russi in 1975. 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. Many still call it the greatest downhill of all time. He would win on skiings toughest downhill course, Kitzbuhel, an incredible four times. Media coverage was moving into a golden era, with more live television and a bigger platform for burgeoning sport stars. Klammer finished fourth overall in 1976, third in 1977, and fifth in 1978.[3]. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. And so this was, for me, the spark that lit the project. We had briefly seen Witt during our walk under the crowded stands, as she was exercising with her trainer, Jutta Mueller. Safety had increased. So she really had no clue who I was.. The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks. Heres the scorecard: 25 World Cup downhill wins the most by any man in history (Stephan Eberharter has 18). All Rights Reserved. It was totally, totally quiet. 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. Thanks to special accreditations, we were standing right at the rink when Witt started to perform. The other challenge faced by Rahlves was the need to intentionally ski out of control. 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. When I told my mother that Im doing this film, she said all these memories came up. This can only be described as a Kamikaze run on the edge of suicide. As a consolation prize, Proell won the FIS gold medal for her success in the three-event combined, yet she apparently threw the medal away after receiving it. Seen here at Inghams 'Discovery Day' celebrating their 75th Anniversary at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. They were excited and I knew I won it. 1. [1] The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland. He showed me plenty of tricks and we had so much fun, she told me afterwards as we sat down to enjoy hot chocolate and cakes. There was plenty of passion and experience with Salmina, whose Mount St. Elias and Streif were captivating works. Right: Schwarzenegger and Maier. 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. Franz legendary race was one month before I was born, he said. We had really long talks about how the movie should be filmed. 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. He was 84. 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. Ironically, it wasnt his first visit to the little-used speed course on Patscherkofel. 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. Sunday, February 26 2023 Breaking News. Required fields are marked *. Her last victoryin the Olympic downhill at Lake Placid in 1980was particularly emotional and a great story, too. Klammers only hope was to chase a line that no one felt could be skied. Moser-Proell had won three events, including a downhill, yet she had not been charging as hard as usual. He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a . She never came to the races. Their excitement is palpable. 1999 - 2019 Skiing History. But she still appeared confident heading into the Games. 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. As expected, Russi put down a solid run to take the lead. Klammer came into the 1976 Olympics with three straight World Cup downhill wins and back-to-back Hahnenkamm titles. 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. While much of the storyline of the film is the tension Klammer felt and his burgeoning romance with Eva, producer Pochlatko knew that the true heart of the film was how he portrayed one of the most thrilling ski runs of all time 45 years later. 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. And Schmied and Schmidt hit it out of the park. 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. I had to look into it is there even a movie there? he said. Franz Klammer - Free download as Text File (.txt), PDF File (.pdf) or read online for free. Tomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. 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. And what are you doing? Im studying medicine. And that was all we talked about. 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. 5 February 1976, Innsbruck - Franz Klammer writes the greatest page of his story He remains the king of the downhill, the most successful skier of anyone in his discipline in the World Cup. Instead, he was born in the southernmost Austrian state of Carinthia, a region with lesser-known mountains and a bit outside the ski racing spotlight. Chasing the Line. The feature-length film debuted with a screening Sept. 27 at the Zurich Film Festival. A season earlier in 1974-75, he won an unprecedented eight World Cup downhills. Options: Reply Quote Re: Where to find Franz Klammer 1976 Innsbruck downhill video? He nearly went down on the first curve, but saved it on one ski. The streets across the nation were empty and factory workers received a special break, so they could watch the event on TV with millions of their compatriots. She may soon compete on the World Cup tour. Chasing the Line is a film about Klammer, it is also a portrayal of skiing, as a sport. 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.. No. 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. 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. The mind of a downhill skier - Franz Klammer. Here is a Pro-Quality transfer from my fathers original master tape and it turned out brilliant and clear. I was so convinced that I can do it. He didnt grow up in the shadow of the towering Tyrolean Alps. He won the famous (and notorious) Hahnenkamm downhill four times. Once more, it was Draggan, working then for CBS, who set up the encounter in a nice restaurant in the French resort. Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback. He also holds the record for the most victories (four) on the full course at Kitzbhel. Yes. Klammer had seen many film proposals over the years, but they all hit hurdles. 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. Legend has it that at the top just before Franz left the starting gate he asked the timing official What do I need to do to win? and the guy responded Kill Yourself. He did all the action shots, said Schmied. Kids watch Olympic curling for the first time Kids Call. says Franz Klammer whose hair-raising romp to gold at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck is still regarded as one of the . He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. There are no products in your shopping cart. ^ Klammer was an alternate on the 1980 team and did not compete. He took over after the sudden death of his father in 1959. Others had tried to make a film about Franz Klammer for quite some time and nobody quite got it correct. Franz everyone knows him!, In his heart, Kresse believed in the story. Alberto Tomba. [1] He had a tough struggle to make the Austrian ski team, traditionally dominated by the states of Tyrol and Salzburg. He would win 26 World Cup Downhills between 1973 and 1984. Franz Klammer is an Austrian former Alpine ski racer known for dominating the Downhill skiing discipline. The pressure intensified again when Klammer drew the 15th spot for his Olympic run. 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. [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. 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. Today, Franz Klammer is a paid ambassador for several ski resorts and corporations. So I decided to take even more risks than I had planned, especially in the Ochsenschlag section. The greatest downhill run of ALL Time! 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He was adorable, said Witt of her time with La Bomba. When casting ski racing doubles for Klammer, Salmina turned to his longtime friend Rahlves. The risk was too great and the snow was wrong. Klammer said. The Italian skier, closely followed by a crew from a U.S. network, was proudly wearing his two Olympic gold medals around his neck. Rahlves, too, is in a fascinating place in Austrian ski history. His company BioramaSports.com produces the Ski World Cup Guide and provides TV stations with reports from the World Cup circuit. 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. Long talks about how the movie should be filmed pressure intensified again when Klammer drew the 15th spot his. 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