David Zwilling

David Zwilling ( born August 24, 1949 in Abtenau, Salzburg ) is a former Austrian alpine skier. He started from 1969 to 1975 in the Ski World Cup, won two giant slalom and finished 1973 ranked second in the World Cup. His greatest successes came in the World Cup 1974. He became world champion in the downhill and won the silver medal in the slalom.

Career

Gemini began early with the skiing and came the age of ten to UPS Abtenau. After winning in 1968 a FIS giant slalom in Åre, he was inducted into the national team of the Austrian Ski Federation ( Austrians ). In his first World Cup race, the giant slalom at Chuenisbärgli in Adelboden on January 6, 1969, he finished ninth. In the season 1969/70 twin reached the top 10 courses in all disciplines, but at the World Championships in Val Gardena he came only in the giant slalom used and occupied the 13th place.

The breakthrough twin in the winter of 1970 /71. On January 5, he stood in the giant slalom in Berchtesgaden for the first time on the podium at the season finale, he celebrated in the giant slalom at Åre his first World Cup victory. In the slalom the Abtenauer went four times to fourth place. He took each as best Austrian seventh place in the overall World Cup and fifth in the giant slalom World Cup. In the slalom standings, he was eighth. That same winter he also became Austrian Champion in Giant Slalom and in the combination. At the beginning of the 1971/72 season twin was not fully in shape and came only once in the top ten. At the Olympic Winter Games in 1972 in Sapporo, Japan, he reached then no top spots and finished seventh in the giant slalom and the slalom. After the games, he came in the giant slalom at Heavenly Valley to his single podium this winter. His Austrian giant slalom title he successfully defended. The 1972/73 season began with his twin only two podium finishes in the downhill. On December 19, he celebrated his second victory in the giant slalom of the 3 - Tre race in Madonna di Campiglio. In the rest of the season he was able to classify in the top five, especially on the descents, but also in the slalom and giant slalom often. He reached 15 points behind Gustav Thöni second place in the overall World Cup and ex aequo with Franz Klammer ranked fourth in the downhill standings.

In the season of 1973/74 is Twin initially could classify in all disciplines in the top six. On 20 January he scored his only podium in Wengen slalom. The 1974 World Cup in St. Moritz started for the then 24 -year-olds with a disqualification in the giant slalom, which he also lost the chance of a medal combination. As a medal candidate in the combination he had had a fixed starting place in all disciplines in the Austrian team, but after his failure in the giant slalom, he had to prove for a start in the downhill only in a ÖSV internal secretion. Gemini won this qualification and celebrated the next day the biggest success of his career: With more than a second ahead of Franz Klammer he became world champion in the downhill. The next day he also won behind Gustav Thöni the silver medal in the slalom. This winter, he also won his fourth Austrian championship, this time in the slalom. In December, he was elected to Austria's sportsman of the year 1974.

In winter 1974/75 twin could not connect to past performance. In a single race he came only in the departure of St. Moritz in the top ten; with the second place in the combined score of Wengen he succeeded the last top result. After he had suffered at the beginning of the next winter in a fall in Val d'Isere a ligament sprain in the ankle, he finished his career. Later, he was briefly a member of the Racing Commission of the Austrian Ski Federation.

Private

Gemini is married and has two adult children. Since the end of his active sports career he has served as founder and director of several companies. He was awarded the Golden Badge of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria in 1999.

On 9 June 2010 his three -month-old granddaughter Nora was kidnapped by an approximately 35 year old woman in a shopping center in Salzburg. After five hours, Nora was found in a parking lot in the Bavarian town of Unterwössen.

Together with John Aschauer and Otto sewage was David Zwilling in 2010 on a 4500 km long pilgrimage on foot from Arbing to Jerusalem.

With the artist Gudrun Kargl of Göss ( www.gudrunkargl.at ) he initiated in 2011 Großgmainer Marie Healing Garden of the " Star of Love " as a project for world peace.

Sporting successes

Olympic games

  • Sapporo 1972: 7 Giant Slalom, Slalom 7

World Championships

  • Gardena 1970: 13 Giant Slalom
  • Sapporo 1972: 7 Giant Slalom, Slalom 7
  • St. Moritz 1974: 1st exit, 2nd Slalom

World Cup

World Cup ratings:

  • 1970/ 71: 7 Overall World Cup, 8 Slalom, Giant Slalom 5
  • 1971/72 season: 6 Giant Slalom
  • 1972/73 season: 2nd Overall World Cup, 4th exit, 8, Slalom, Giant Slalom 7
  • 1973/ 74: 7 Overall World Cup downhill 8, 9 slalom

A total of eight podium finishes, including two victories:

Austrian Championships

Twin was four times Austrian Champion:

  • Slalom: 1974
  • Giant Slalom: 1971, 1972
  • Combination: 1971

Awards

  • Austrian Sportsman of the Year: 1974
  • Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria: 1999
Slalom skiing Alpine skiing combined FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1974 1973 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1971 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 1972 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1972 Winter Olympics 1974 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1975 Alpine Skiing World Cup Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics Italy Walter Prager Gustav Lantschner David Zogg Franz Zingerle Rudolf Rominger James Couttet Henri Oreiller Christian Pravda Jean Vuarnet Karl Schranz Egon Zimmermann Jean-Claude Killy Leonhard Stock Harti Weirather Pirmin Zurbriggen Franz Heinzer Urs Lehmann Patrick Ortlieb Bruno Kernen Hermann Maier Hannes Trinkl Michael Walchhofer Bode Miller John Kucera Erik Guay
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