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The Austrian Franz Klammer holds the World Cup downhill record with 25 victories.
Marcel W. Perrenski reporter
Franz Klammer shaped the king of alpine disciplines like no other racer. The Carinthian, who will celebrate his 70th birthday this year, is the only one to have won the downhill five times. The 1976 Olympic champion also holds the downhill world record for individual World Cup victories (25).
Klammer celebrated his first Lauberhorn victory on January 11, 1975 with a lead of 3.54 seconds over the Italian Herbert Plank – to this day the largest difference between first and second place in the “belle étage” of skiing. The “Bauern-Bua” from Mooswald could lose another record today to Beat Feuz.
Feuz even convinces in the Super-G
Like Klammer, the Swiss has three victories in the Lauberhorn downhill to his credit – since the World Cup was founded at the end of the 1960s, no skier has succeeded. And that Feuz has the form for the fourth Wengen triumph, indicated the 35-year-old with seventh place in his “worry” discipline Super-G. “After finishing 25th and 40th in the Super-G this season, probably nobody seriously believed that I would finish in the top 10 in the last Super-G of my career. But on the Lauberhorn I just feel particularly good. And it will remain my favorite race. It doesn’t matter what happens in the downhill,” promises the four-time overall downhill World Cup winner for today’s showdown in Wengen.
Old master Klammer will watch Feuz’ last jump over the Hundschopf in the comfort of his own home in front of the television. “I wish Beat from the bottom of my heart that he can unpack his extraordinary abilities again. If anyone deserves to be ahead of me in the all-time Lauberhorn ranking, it’s Beat! And because of his brilliant feeling and his enormous adaptability, I also trust him to win.”
“Feuz likes it because it goes against the six-pack trend”
Klammer continues his hymn of praise for our «Kugelblitz». «Beat is a Swiss who you really have to like as an Austrian. Personally, I’ve always liked Feuz because he goes against the six-pack trend.”
That’s why Austria’s downhill king soon wants to toast his life’s work with the Swiss downhill king. “I’m already looking forward to a joint ski pensioner beer with the beat.” Speaking of beer: Klammer makes no secret of the fact that he drank enough of it after his second Lauberhorn victory in 1976. “I celebrated so long back then that I didn’t have much time left to get to the slalom start on time. But in the end I still won the combination.”
There shouldn’t be such an exuberant party at Feuz this weekend, even after a win. Finally, after Wengen, the notorious descent in Kitzbühel is on the program. And the Streif is definitely less forgiving than a combination slalom…
Attention ski fans! Now quiz and type races
The 2022/2023 ski season is in full swing and so is the “Blick Ski Trophy”: Answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!
The 2022/2023 ski season is in full swing and so is the “Blick Ski Trophy”: Answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!