Christoph Gruber

Christoph Gruber ( born March 25, 1976 in Schwaz ) is an Austrian former alpine skier, who was especially successful in the discipline Super -G, but also in the downhill and giant slalom. He was two-time Junior World Champion in 1995 and 2000 won the European Cup overall standings. In his twelve seasons in the World Cup, he won five races. Gruber took part twice in the Olympic Games and five times at the World Championships. His best result here was the fourth place in the Super -G World Cup 2007.

  • 2.5.1 European Cup victories

Biography

Even in his childhood drove Christoph Gruber races for his hometown club Turnerschaft Schwaz. He is a graduate of Skihandelsschule Stams and was in the squad of the Austrian Ski Federation ( Austrian Ski Federation ) since 1993. The first major successes reach the Tyrol in the winter of 1994 / 95th End of February, he was Austrian Junior Champion in Giant Slalom and Super- G, in early March he won his first European Cup races, and shortly thereafter he became Junior World Champion in Giant Slalom and in the combination.

In the next two years Gruber drove in the European Cup only rarely among the top ten. In 1997, he was Austrian Champion in the combination. In the European Cup 1997/98 season he scored three super-G victories which he won the discipline standings and finished in fourth place overall. Thanks to this success, he had a World Cup super-G Fixstartplatz next winter. His World Cup debut Gruber on 27 November 1998 in Aspen, where he continued to rank 14. The next three races he could finish in the points and the beginning of March he came in Kvitfjell in twelfth place. In the European Cup this season, he could win the giant slalom in Hinterstoder and continue for five times in the top three. He finished third in the Super -G and giant slalom rating and second place in the overall standings, respectively. In the season 1999/2000 Gruber won ( the same time as Patrick Wirth) and six other podium finishes the European Cup overall standings with the victory in the departure of Les Orres. On the descent, he came to the second and Super- G at the third position overall. In the World Cup his best result of the season was the eleventh place in the giant slalom in Saalbach -Hinterglemm.

As of the 2000 /01 season Gruber was just in the World Cup at the start. His first top-10 result was sixth place in the Super G in Lake Louise on November 26, 2000. A week later he made in the Super- G in Beaver Creek his first podium, taking only the Swede Fredrik Nyberg for scarce three hundredths of a second was inferior. On 21 December 2000, the Tyrolean stood with his victory in the giant slalom in Bormio for the first time at the top of the podium. The second victory was followed by the end of January 2001 in the Super G in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, which he won on compatriot Hermann Maier with a hundredths ahead. He finished behind Maier to second place in the Super- G World Cup, and the eleventh place in the overall standings. The results of the 2001 World Championships in St. Anton am Arlberg, however, were rather disappointing for the Tyrolean. In the giant slalom, he was after the first round in second place, but in the second race he fell back to twelfth position. The Super -G, he finished 19th place

In the 2001 / 02 season, Gruber had no podium. Two fourth places in the Super G in Val d'Isere and the giant slalom in Alta Badia were his best results. With a total of eleven top-10 results like the year before he came in eleventh place in the World Cup and in the super -G and giant slalom rating each in the top ten. The rankings for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City met his season performances in the World Cup. In the giant slalom, he was fifth in the Super -G in the Seventh and Twentieth departure. The 2002/03 season brought for Gruber again two podiums. In the giant slalom at Val d'Isère, he was third and in the Super -G in Kitzbühel in second place. In the 2003 World Cup in St. Moritz, he came in the Super -G but only ranked 14th was the ninth place in the giant slalom World Cup his best overall result in this discipline. In winter 2003/ 04 the Tyrolean also came twice on the podium. In the giant slalom in Adelboden and Super- G in Sestriere, he came third.

After a material change in the summer Gruber started with poor results in the 2004/ 05 season. It was not until the turn of the year, he again ascended into the top ten and the second in the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen, he finally came into the team for the 2005 World Championships in Bormio. There, however, he only played the giant slalom, in which he failed to boot up in the second race in the first round by rank 37. In the internal team qualifying for the exit, he could not prevail. After the disappointing World Cup Gruber celebrated on 20 February 2005 of his first World Cup victory in four years. He won the Super -G in Garmisch- Partenkirchen with a hundredth of a second ahead of Swiss Didier Defago. In the downhill World Cup he scored his best overall placement in ninth place.

The 2005/06 season began again with weaker performance and Gruber never drove in the first few months in the top 10. However, in the super-G in Garmisch- Partenkirchen, he succeeded again a victory, this time over eight tenths of a second ahead of American Scott Macartney. He also secured a spot in the Super- G at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, but where he was only ranked 19. In the season 2006/ 07 Gruber went twice on the podium. In the super -G in Val Gardena, he finished second in the downhill and the season finale in Lenzerheide third parties. At the 2007 World Championships in Åre, he just barely missed a medal. In the super -G, he took a hundredth of a second behind the third-placed Swiss Bruno Kernen and at the same time with Didier Cuche to fourth place. In the giant slalom, he left in the first round, in the descent he was not given a starting place.

In the 2007 /08 season Gruber won the Super -G in Whistler and he finished third in the Super G in Beaver Creek. In the World Cup discipline he got away with it in fifth place. The 2008/09 season was quite disappointing. The sixth place in the giant slalom in the season opener in Soelden was his best result and just one more time he made it into the top ten. At the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isere he could be single race, the exit, do not stop. In the World Cup he fell to 54th place back - by far his worst result for nine years - which is why he was transferred after the season by the team in the A-team of the Austrian Ski Federation.

In the following season 2009/10 was Gruber's best finish a 18th place in the Super G in Val d'Isere. On 16 January 2010 he crashed when running for the exit of Wengen and suffered thereby a severe concussion, a crack in the head of the tibia, one is torn cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee contusion. Thus, the season was prematurely ended for him.

7 April 2010 Christoph Gruber was the end of his sports career and known to want to work in the future as a professional pilot. The training to become a commercial pilot, he completed in February 2012, he was next with several World Cup races co-commentator for the TV Euro Sport. In addition to these activities Gruber is still active in skiing. As a ski instructor Tyrolean hotel he shares his knowledge and his experience continued in a race camps for children and adults. He is assisted by the coach by Hubertus von Hohenlohe.

Achievements

Olympic games

  • Salt Lake City 2002: 5 Giant Slalom, Super-G, 7, 20 departure
  • Turin 2006: 19 Super -G

World Championships

  • St. Anton 2001: 12 Giant Slalom, Super -G 19
  • St. Moritz 2003: 14 Super -G
  • Åre 2007: 4 Super -G

Junior World Championships

  • Voss 1995: 1st Giant Slalom, 1st combination, 5 downhill, slalom 19

World Cup

  • Season 2000/ 01: 2 Super -G standings
  • Season 2007/ 08: 5 Super -G standings
  • 5 wins and 9 podiums

World Cup wins

European Cup

  • Season 1994/95: 5 exit summary
  • Season 1997/ 98: 4th place overall, first super-G standings
  • 1998/99 season: 2nd place, 3rd Super-G standings, third giant slalom rating
  • Season 1999/ 00: 1st place overall, 2nd downhill standings, third Super -G standings
  • 17 podiums, including 6 victories

European Cup victories

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian Champion in the combined 1997
  • Austrian Junior Champion in the Super- G and giant slalom in 1995
Slalom skiing Alpine skiing combined World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships 2001 Alpine Skiing World Cup 2002 Alpine Skiing World Cup 2005 Alpine Skiing World Cup 2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup Aspen (Colorado) Lake Louise (Alberta) Beaver Creek Resort FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2001 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2003 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2005 2006 Alpine Skiing World Cup 2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2007 2008 Alpine Skiing World Cup Whistler (British Columbia) 2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2009 2010 Alpine Skiing World Cup Pilot (aircraft) Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics Italy Altenmarkt im Pongau Les Menuires France Kleine Zeitung
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