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Josef Walcher
Josef "Sepp" Walcher (December 8, 1954 – January 22, 1984) was an Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer. He specialized in the downhill event and won the gold medal at the World Championships in 1978 at Garmisch, West Germany.[1][2] Biography  in Schladming Born in Schladming, Styria, Walcher made his World Cup debut in December 1972, two days after his 18th birthday. Two months later, he scored his first World Cup points (and podium) with a runner-up finish at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Walcher's first World Cup victory came in January 1977 at Morzine, France, his seventh podium.[3][4] His best two seasons were 1977 and 1978, finishing runner-up to compatriot Franz Klammer in the downhill standings both years. A week prior to his win at the world championships in 1978, Walcher won consecutive downhills at Kitzbühel, Austria.[5][6] Walcher retired after the 1982 season with five World Cup victories and thirteen podium finishes. In 1984, he was killed at age 29 in a skiing accident at a benefit race in his hometown of Schladming. The race was a 8 km downhill where the skiers started only 30 seconds apart from each other. Walcher died after breaking his neck in a fall and hitting his head on a course marker. [7] World Cup resultsSeason standings
Race podiums
World championship results
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing. Olympic results |
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| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 21 | — | — | not run | 9 | not run |
| 1980 | 25 | — | — | — ^ |
^ Walcher made the downhill team in 1980 but was dropped the day before the race, replaced by alternate Leonhard Stock, who won the gold medal.[9][10][11]
References
- ^ "Downhill gold for Walcher". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. January 30, 1978. p. 21.
- ^ "Walcher winner". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 30, 1978. p. 15.
- ^ "Josef Walcher surprise winner". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 1, 1977. p. 17.
- ^ "Downhill star Klammer loses second race in row". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. February 1, 1978. p. 15.
- ^ "Walcher triumphs". The Hour. Norwalk, CT. UPI. January 20, 1978. p. 21.
- ^ "Klammer upset in downhill". Montreal Gazette. Reuters. January 21, 1978. p. 13.
- ^ "Austrian ski star killed in accident". New York Times. UPI. January 23, 1984. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ Shared win with Josef Ferstl
- ^ "For Stock, it was an uphill battle". St. Petersburg Independent. Associated Press. February 15, 1980. p. 5C.
- ^ Mizell, Hubert (February 15, 1980). "Unknown Austrian skier Stock suddenly is hero". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C.
- ^ Johnson, William Oscar (February 25, 1980). "Austria storms the hill". Sports Illustrated. p. 22. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010.
External links
- Josef Walcher at FIS (alpine)
- Josef Walcher at Olympedia
- Josef Walcher at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- Josef Walcher at Find a Grave
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