Harti Weirather

Hartmann " Harti " Weirather (born 25 January 1958 in Reutte ) is a former Austrian alpine skier. The downhill specialist won at the beginning of the 1980s, six races in the World Cup and the 1981 downhill World Cup. In 1982 he became world champion in downhill in Schladming. After the end of his career he founded together with his wife Hanni Wenzel, a sports marketing agency.

Career

Weirather started at the age of three years with the skiing, the age of ten he drove his first race students. He attended the Skigymnasium in Stams 1977 he won the European Cup downhill in Morzine. In the World Cup he was from the 1978/79 season at the start. Best result in the first World Cup winter was the eleventh place in the departure of Lake Placid. In 1979, he won his first of three Austrian Cup titles.

In the season 1979/80 to Weirather was five times in the top five place and peaked in the departures of Kitzbühel and Lake Louise in second place. He was fourth in the downhill World Cup. At the Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, he finished ninth. The first victory of his career Weirather celebrated on 15th December 1980 in the second downhill in Val Gardena, another time he was in January in St. Anton at the top of the podium. By the third victory in the last race of the season in Aspen, he secured the win of the World Cup downhill before the Canadian Steve Podborski, which also could have three wins this season.

In January 1982 Weirather won the downhill in Kitzbuehel and Wengen. He celebrated his biggest success shortly afterwards at the World Championships in Schladming. Weirather won the downhill on the Planai of almost half a second ahead of Swiss Conradin Cathomen and was the only Austrian world champion at this World Cup. In the downhill World Cup he came in the season 1981/82 to third place.

To kick off the 1982/83 season Weirather won the downhill of Pontresina, but came only once in the top three after that. Nevertheless, he was able to defend his third place in the downhill World Cup quite scarce. The 1983/84 season began Weirather with two podiums in Schladming and Val d'Isere, then reached but no more excellent results and did not qualify for the Olympic Games in Sarajevo.

In the first two months of the 1984/85 season Weirather drove though only once in the top ten, as the defending champion but he was at the World Cup 1985 in Bormio at the start. However, on the Pista Stelvio he finished only 17th place. In March he succeeded with fifth place his best result of the season in Panorama. In the 1985/86 season is Weirather placed only three times in the points, his best result was the eleventh rank in Schladming. Opposite end of the season he suffered in a fall in downhill training in Aspen a torn ACL and a meniscus injury in the knee. The next winter Weirather suffered from constant back problems and he finally announced in January 1987 his resignation.

Harti Weirather is married since 1986 with the former alpine skier Hanni Wenzel, with which he sports marketing firm founded in 1987, WWP ( Weirather, Wenzel & Partner ) operates in Gamprin. WWP is a pioneer in the field of professional sports marketing. In addition Weirather also occurs as an investor and board at various companies. On 9 October 2009, he was selected by Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year 2009" in Liechtenstein. The daughter of Weirather and Wenzel, Tina Weirather is also a ski racer and starts for Liechtenstein.

Sporting successes

Olympic Winter Games

  • Lake Placid 1980: 9 Departure

World Championships

  • Lake Placid 1980: 9 Departure
  • Schladming 1982: 1st exit
  • Bormio 1985: 17 Departure

World Cup ratings

  • 1979/ 80: 4th exit summary
  • Season 1980/81: 8 Overall World Cup, 1st exit summary
  • Season 1981/82: 10th overall World Cup, 3rd exit summary
  • Season 1982/83: 3rd exit summary

World Cup wins

Weirather won six runs, was second seven times, four times third and drove another 24 times in the top ten.

European Cup

  • 1976/77 season: 5th exit summary
  • 1978/79 season: 5th exit summary
  • A win (leaving in Morzine 1977), a third place

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian Champion in downhill in 1979, 1982 and 1983

Awards (excerpt)

  • Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria: 1999
Super-G Alpine skiing combined Medal FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1979 Alpine Skiing World Cup Lake Placid, New York Lake Louise (Alberta) Aspen (Colorado) 1982 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1984 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1984 Winter Olympics 1985 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985 Panorama Mountain Village 1986 Alpine Skiing World Cup Alpine skiing at the 1980 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 David Zwilling Franz Klammer Leonhard Stock 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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