“It requires everything – guts, making tight turns, long turns, gliding sections, jumping. “Skiing wise the most important victory is Kitzbuhel for a downhiller because in my opinion it’s the most complete downhill,” Klammer, 64, told CNN Sport.

His electrifying run to clinch the 1976 Olympic downhill title, under intense pressure as hot favorite, transformed him from national hero to global superstar. The Austrian, known as “The Kaiser,” is arguably the most famous ski racer of them all. Klammer, American Tommy Moe and Switzerland’s Didier Defago tell CNN Sport the tale of their gold medal and the impact achieving the Olympic dream had on their lives. No one has ever defended the title either, although Norway’s Lasse Kjus and Switzerland’s Peter Muller have scored back-to-back silvers.Īnd some big names have never won the Olympic downhill gold, such as Austria’s Hermann Maier and Swiss Didier Cuche, the record five-time Kitzbuhel champion. A handful of recent Olympic champions have clinched gold without a single win on the World Cup circuit. Since Austrian great Franz Klammer’s famous win in 1976, only Swiss Pirmin Zurbriggen (1988) has won downhill gold as favorite.

A lot of elements – mood, form, luck, equipment, track condition, weather – have to align on the day. It’s often viewed as the banner event of the Winter Olympics, and the epitome of daring downhill sports.īut just how important is the men’s Olympic downhill gold medal in the career of alpine skiers?Īfter all, the Olympic downhill competition is a one-shot wonder, one two-minute run on a different track every four years.

Franz klammer 1976 innsbruck