Egon Zimmermann

Egon Zimmermann ( born February 8, 1939 in Lech), also often referred to as Egon Zimmermann for the differentiation with another skier II of the same name, is a former Austrian alpine skier. It was 1962 world champion in giant slalom and 1964 Olympic gold medalist in the downhill.

Career

Zimmermann began at the age of six years with the skiing. They soon became the Ski Club Arlberg attention to his talent and began to promote it accordingly. In addition to ski training he completed an apprenticeship as a chef in France. His first major successes came in 1959, when he won all the competitions at the Austrian Junior Championships and won for the first time in the combination on Etna in an international race in the general class. The next winter he won, among others, the slalom, the giant slalom and combined at the Holmenkollen Kandahar race in Norway, the giant slalom in Sestriere Val d'Isere and was third in the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen. In the 1960/61 season, he reached the second place in the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel as well as two wins in downhill and combined the 3- Tre race in Canazei.

His first big success celebrated Zimmermann at the World Cup 1962 in Chamonix: Before his two team-mates Karl Schranz and Martin Burger, he became world champion in Giant Slalom and Downhill he got behind Schranz and the Frenchman Émile Viollat ​​the bronze medal. In the rest of the season he won the slalom the Arlberg Kandahar races in Sestriere and were each second in downhill and combined. Two more wins get him in the downhill and the combination of Zermatt. In winter 1962/63 Zimmermann won the downhill and the combination on the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, also downhill and combined at Megève and the slalom in Bad Wiessee. At the end of this winter, he was honored by the International Association of Ski Journalists with the first ever Skieur d'Or.

After Zimmermann had won in January 1964, two giant slalom in Wengen, he celebrated the biggest success of his career at the Olympic Winter Games in 1964 in Innsbruck: In downhill skiing at Patscherkofel he became Olympic champion ahead of Frenchman Léo Lacroix and the German Wolfgang Bartels. In his second competition, the giant slalom, he also was one of the favorites, but fell in the first round out. After the games, he still won the downhill in the Swedish Gällivare.

In the fall of 1964, the Vorarlberg suffered a serious car accident and was able to race again until the 1965/66 season, but never quite reached the previous performance. With podium finishes in the departures of Madonna di Campiglio and Sun Valley and in the giant slalom in Gries am Brenner, he qualified for the 1966 World Cup in Chile Portillo, finishing in twelfth place in the downhill, the giant slalom, he could not finish.

In the first season of the world cup Zimmermann reached the fourth and seventh place in downhill and slalom in Wengen and Kitzbühel was in the departure of fifth, however, came at the end of January in downhill training of Megève heavy crash and had the season prematurely. In the 1968 season he returned to the ski circuit, but came only in the departure of Wengen in the top ten. Still, he could compete in the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, finishing in 13th place downhill. After the winter, he finished his career in amateur skiing and switched to the professional races in which he still achieved some good results.

From 1966 carpenter built the four- star hotel in Lech Kristbergbahn on which he leads today. He suffers from multiple sclerosis, has the disease but well thanks Qigong exercises under control.

Achievements

Olympic Winter Games

  • Innsbruck 1964 1st exit
  • Grenoble 1968: 13 Departure

World Championships

  • Chamonix 1962: 1st Giant Slalom, 3rd exit
  • Innsbruck 1964 1st exit
  • Portillo 1966: 12 Departure
  • Grenoble 1968: 13 Departure

World Cup

  • Four placements in the top ten, twice in the top five

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian Champion in downhill in 1966
  • Austrian Junior Champion in downhill, slalom, giant slalom and combined in 1959

Awards (excerpt)

  • Skieur d'Or: 1963
  • Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria: 1996
297823
de