Christian Greber
Christian Greber ( born February 8, 1972 in Mellau, Vorarlberg ) is an Austrian former alpine skier. He was specialized in the speed disciplines Downhill and Super- G, won a World Cup race and took part in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. A serious knee injury in October 2002 forced him to end his career. Greber is married to the former alpine skier Cornelia Meusburger.
Career
First international experience gained Greber at the Junior World Championship in 1991 in Geilo, where he came into the score in all races, but did not reach top positions. His debut in the World Cup, he announced on 29 December 1993 in the downhill in Bormio. In the rest of the season he came back in FIS races and in the European Cup for use. The next World Cup race followed in the season 1994 / 95th The first points brought Greber on 13 January 1995 with 15th place in the Hahnenkamm downhill on the Streif in Kitzbühel. On February 26, he surprisingly reached the third place in the Super G in Whistler. However, this result could not confirm Greber throughout the next winter and he had to start again in the European Cup in the 1996/97 season. Here he reached with a win in the downhill of the house and a further four podium finishes in second place in the overall standings and in downhill standings, which he again had a Fixstartplatz in the World Cup for the next winter.
In the 1997/98 season Greber drove in eight of the eleven World Cup downhill into the top 20 and achieved its best result sixth place in Bormio. In the downhill World Cup, he was ranked 19, but his Fixstartplatz he could not hold it. So he had to start again in the European Cup, where he reached with four podium finishes in fifth place in the downhill standings and second in the super-G standings in the winter of 1998 /99. In the World Cup he came in five runs for, scoring a best finish eighth in Bormio. The World Cup 1999/2000 season Greber began with a fifth place in the downhill on Beaver Creek. But then he came only twice in the top 15 until his third in the downhill scored his second podium finish at the season finale in Bormio. In the downhill World Cup he finished in 15th place. In the 2000 /01 season, he still came back propagated in the European Cup for use, but also in the World Cup he achieved sixth place in the departure of Kitzbühel a good result.
With its training services in the summer of 2001, Greber finally secured a regular place in the World Cup team of the Austrian downhill. In the first three runs of the season 2001/ 02 in Val d'Isere Val Gardena and he was able to classify always in the top ten and in the fourth season Greber Bormio downhill celebrated in front of his teammates Fritz Strobl and Stephan Eberharter the first victory. With two other top 10 places in the second downhill in Bormio and finish the season in Altenmarkt he reached the seventh place in the downhill World Cup. With his first World Cup victory, Greber could qualify for a major event within the Austrian team for the first time. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, he finished sixth in the downhill.
On October 10, 2002, Greber injured during downhill training hard in the Pitztal. This fall all bands tore in his left knee, which is why he had to pause the entire 2002/03 season. In the summer of 2003 he was again participate in the training, but after persistent knee problems he had to in November 2003 a further undergo surgery. After he could deny any races in the winter 2003/ 04, he was for health reasons in April 2004 his retirement from elite sport known.
Sporting successes
Olympic Winter Games
- Salt Lake City 2002: 6 Departure
Junior World Championships
- Geilo 1991: 12 Combination 18 exit 18 Super G, slalom 29, 36 Giant Slalom
World Cup
- Season 2001/ 02: 7 Departure rating
- A victory ( Bormio downhill on December 28, 2001) and two third places
European Cup
- Season 1996/97: 2nd overall, 2nd exit 4 Super -G
- Season 1998/99: 2 Super -G, downhill 5
- A victory ( downhill House on December 18, 1996), five second and seven third places