Gertrude Gabl

Gertrud Gabl ( born August 26, 1948 in St. Anton am Arlberg, † 18 January 1976 ibid ) was an Austrian alpine skier. She celebrated seven World Cup victories and won in the 1968/69 season the overall and slalom World Cup.

Career

Gabl came early for skiing, her father and her uncle Franz Josef were successful skiers. In the Ski Club Arlberg you quickly realized her talent and soon they rose up in the Tyrolean provincial cadres and later in the national team.

After several successes in the junior she won the 1967 Austrian Championships in slalom and in the combination. In the same winter they took their first points in the World Cup. Her breakthrough came in the season 1968. Having spent five days before the first run with second place in the slalom of the Staufen Cup in Oberstaufen on the podium, she won on January 11, 1968 her first World Cup race, the slalom SDS- race in Grindelwald. At the Olympic Games in Grenoble but the medal candidate did not achieve top results. In slalom, it turned out in the Giant Slalom and Downhill, she took only the places nine and twelve. In the World Cup, however they won the season-ending in the two races of Heavenly Valley and thus reached in the overall standings to seventh place in slalom she was equal on points with the Frenchwoman Florence Steurer second.

The 1968/69 season was their most successful. With three slalom wins and a giant slalom victory Gabl not only won the slalom World Cup, but also became Austria's first overall World Cup winner. That this was achieved in the same year in the men which also originating from St. Anton Karl Schranz, is still unique in the Ski World Cup. Also, some competitions which were not for the World Cup, Gabl won in this winter, so for example the Arlberg - Kandahar race.

In the season 1969/70 Gabl could not connect to their previous successes by far and fell back to 16th place in the overall World Cup. At the height of the season, the World Cup in Val Gardena, she missed finishing fourth in the slalom and fifth in the giant slalom twice narrowly the podium. In the 1970/71 season they reached back several podiums and improved to ninth place in the overall World Cup giant slalom, she was fourth overall. The following winter but their results deteriorated again and also at the Olympic Games in Sapporo, they had no success. Both the slalom and the giant slalom she could not finish.

After this disappointing season for them Gabl resigned at the age of only 23 years of top-level sport and married shortly afterwards a German businessman. On 18 January 1976 she was traveling with him on the slopes of the Middle Rendl in St. Anton on a ski trip, when triggered an avalanche. Gabl was buried and was found dead. In St. Anton of the Gertrud Gabl - way to the first Austrian World Cup champion recalls.

Achievements

Olympic Winter Games

  • Grenoble 1968: 9 Giant Slalom, Downhill 12

World Championships

  • Gardena 1970: 4th Slalom, Giant Slalom 5

World Cup ratings

  • Season 1968: 7th overall, 2nd Slalom, Giant Slalom 4
  • 1968/69 season: 1st overall, 1st Slalom, Giant Slalom 3
  • 1970/ 71: 9 Rating, 4 Giant Slalom, Slalom 8

World Cup wins

Austrian Championships

Gertrud Gabl was five times Austrian Champion:

  • Slalom: 1967, 1968, 1969
  • Giant Slalom: 1968
  • Combination: 1967
261137
de