Hedy Schlunegger
Hedwig ( " Hedy ") Schlunegger ( born March 10, 1923 in Wengen, † 3 July 2003 in Grindelwald) was a Swiss ski racer. It was seven-time national champion and 1948 Olympic gold medalist in the downhill.
Biography
Hedy Schlunegger grew up with six older siblings in the café Oberland in Wengen district in alleys on. Her father, who died in 1939 Lobhorn mountains, support as guides often on the road and all the children had the mother active in the café. On the way back from the milk transport in winter Schlunegger put on skis, which they later called their training. For real ski training little time remained. Later, she took a job as a service employees on the Kleine Scheidegg, where she also met her future husband. On the way back to Wengen they mastered in the winter also always on skis.
In ski racing Hedy Schlunegger first appeared at the beginning of the 1940s in appearance after her older brother Hans Schlunegger was already in the 1930s, a successful ski racer. She won in 1942 as the departure of the Swiss Junior Ski Championships in Grindelwald at a faster six seconds as the best Senior Erna Steuri and was first Swiss champion. Shortly after, she finished the ski country competition, France and Switzerland in her hometown Wengen third place in the downhill. The next winter Schlunegger again won the departure of juniors at the Swiss Championships 1943 in Arosa. But you stayed this time nearly six seconds behind the best Senior and Swiss champion Antoinette Meyer. But with a second place in the slalom, she won the Swiss Championship in Alpine combination. 1944, now starting in the senior class, it secured in Gstaad for the second time the title of the Swiss downhill champion.
In the years 1946 ( in Davos ) and 1947 ( Wengen ) was Schlunegger two -time Swiss champion in the downhill and combined, which they won seven league titles in her career - as many as at this time no other before her. In 1947 they each scored fourth place in the slalom and combination, as well as fifth in the downhill at the Arlberg - Kandahar race in Murren.
1948 reached Schlunegger first to second place in the downhill SDS- race in Grindelwald before they celebrated their biggest success in St. Moritz: At the Olympic Winter Games in 1948, it was in spite of a fall in the section cannon, which, however, did not cost her a lot of time, eight- tenths of a second ahead of the Austrian Trude Jochum - Beiser Olympic gold medalist and world champion in the downhill at the same time. In combination slalom she was ranked 15, which she was eighth in the combination. Soon after, she retired from ski racing.
1949 married Hedy Schlunegger the mountain guides and rangers Christian Kaufmann, with whom she was living in his home town of Grindelwald. From 1950 to 1953 three daughters were born, two of whom also participated in ski racing. Opened in 1959, the couple Kaufmann- Schlunegger a shop in Grindelwald, which she led until 1992. 1996 died Schluneggers husband and 1999 her nephew and his wife were killed when the café Oberland was buried by an avalanche. Hedy Kaufmann- Schlunegger died in July 2003 at the age of 80 years. Her granddaughter Martina Schild was also a successful ski racer.
Achievements
Olympic Winter Games
( included at the same time as World Championships )
- St. Moritz 1948: 1st exit, 8 combination
Swiss Championships
- Seven times Swiss champion: 4x departure (1942, 1944, 1946 and 1947)
- 3x combination (1943, 1946 and 1947)
More
- 2nd place in the departure of the SDS- race in Grindelwald 1948