Helmut Höflehner

Helmut höflehner (* November 24, 1959 in Gumpenberg, Municipal House in Enns ) is a former Austrian alpine skier. The downhill specialist won ten races in the World Cup and in the seasons 1984/1985 and 1989/1990 the downhill World Cup. For large events, the two-time Austrian champion remained without a medal, his best result at the Olympics and World Championships was the fifth place in Sarajevo in 1984.

  • 2.1 Olympic Winter Games
  • 2.2 World Championships
  • 2.3 World Cup
  • 2.4 Austrian Championships

Career

Beginnings and first downhill World Cup victory (until 1985 )

Höflehner was at the age of four years for the first time on skis and age of eleven celebrated a first win at a district championship. Further victories in Landescup and inclusion in the squad of Styria Ski followed. The mid- 1970s came the trained car mechanic in the squad of the Austrian Ski Federation ( Austrians ). Since then, his main focus was on the descent. His World Cup debut on 20 January 1978 höflehner on the Streif in Kitzbühel. In this spare departure for Heavenly Valley, he finished 33rd. Nearly two years later he won on January 6, 1980 with number 13 in the departure of Pra Loup, the first World Cup points at the end of the season 1979/1980 he reached sixth place in Lake Louise, the first top- 10 finish.

Many other top- 10 finishes, and thus the top 10 places in the downhill World Cup, höflehner arrive in the next two years, before the first time he stood third in descent from Aspen on the podium on March 6, 1982. In the previous month höflehner had first taken part in a major event, the 1982 World Cup in his immediate home Schladming, but when he came only in the combination used, which he - with the fifth fastest time of departure - finished 17th place. In his special discipline he could not with Franz Klammer, Harti Weirather, Erwin Resch and others still qualify for a World Cup start in the strong Austrian downhill team. Also in World Cup höflehner took off exit several times participated in combinations. In this discipline, he reached from December 1982 to February 1986 a total of four top-10 results.

After höflehner was also in the season 1982/1983 Third in Aspen and had thus achieved his second podium finish, he celebrated on 12th March 1983 in the last downhill of the winter in Lake Louise his first World Cup victory. The second victory was followed the next winter on February 2, 1984 in Cortina d' Ampezzo, which he also Fixstartplatz in the six days later, beginning 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo secured. There he went as the second best Austrian and coinciding with the Swiss Urs Räber to fifth place. He also won his first in 1984 by two Austrian league titles in the downhill.

The following season 1984/1985 was to be his for the time being successful: höflehner began the winter with a win on the Saslong in Val Gardena, won in January at the Lauberhorn in Wengen (spare downhill for Bormio ) and at the Arlberg - Kandahar race in Garmisch -Partenkirchen was second in the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel as well as third in the departure of panoramic another two times on the podium. This he secured by a margin of five points on the Swiss Peter Müller winning the downhill World Cup. At the World Cup 1985 in Bormio höflehner counted thus for among the favorites, but he had to settle on the Pista Stelvio with the seventh place.

Form deep and comeback (1985-1990)

In the first race the following season 1985/1986, which began with two runs in the Las Lenas Argentina during the European summer, höflehner finished third, which then, however, remained his last podium place for the next three years. In winter 1985/1986 and in the season 1986/1987 he was still achieved, although several top - 10 finishes, but came in the downhill World Cup for the first time since 1980, not in the top ten. Barely he succeeded within the Austrian Ski Team qualified for the 1987 World Championships in Crans -Montana, where he finished 14th in the downhill. As höflehner in winter 1987/1988 at all had no top-10 result and was able to score only two runs, and for the first time in two Super -G, he was on the verge of elimination from the Austrian Ski Federation cadres who prevented only by head coach Hans Pum been.

Höflehner justified the confidence placed in him and found under downhill coach Kurt Hoch, also a Styrian, and after changing the ski brand in the 1988/1989 season again the world's top back. He won on 10 December 1988, the departure of Val Gardena and celebrated his sixth overall World Cup victory, while the first in almost four years. He also ended the losing streak the entire Austrian downhill team that since Anton Steiner in March 1986 was able to record no more World Cup victory. This success confirmed höflehner twelve days later, when he also won the departure of St. Anton. In January, followed by a third place in Laax and until end of season four more top 10 places in runs, which he ranked second in the downhill World Cup reached behind the starting of Luxembourg Vorarlberg Marc Girardelli - by rank 37 a year earlier. Also in the Super -G höflehner went twice in the top ten, with which he was eighth in this discipline rating Fourteenth and the overall World Cup. The 1989 World Series in Vail was disappointing for him and all Austrian downhill: As best Austrian höflehner seventh position.

Even more successful than the last World Cup was the winter 1989/1990: höflehner drove in seven of the nine season departures on the podium and celebrated the end of January / beginning of February, within nine days, three victories in the two slopes of Val d'Isere, and in the second exit Cortina d' Ampezzo. Thus he secured prematurely winning the downhill World Cup - the second time after 1984/1985 - that he finally decided with 46 points ahead of Norwegian Atle Skårdal for themselves. With a few additional points from the World Cup Super -G - in this discipline he scored this winter for the last time before he only focused in the last years of his career to the exit - he also reached the fifth place in the overall World Cup.

The last few years in the World Cup (1990-1994)

In the 1990/1991 season höflehner won until January his first World Cup points, as he finished fourth in Garmisch -Partenkirchen and fifth in Kitzbühel. However, he was also at the 1991 World Championships in Saalbach -Hinterglemm for among the favorites. A medal win at major events where he remained but again denied: Even While pushing the start he got caught with his sticks between the skis, at the third goal came the final failure. After the botched World Cup höflehner get two third places in Aspen and Lake Louise, the downhill World Cup he finished in fourth position.

The season 1991/1992 started like the previous year, with weaker results, but with the ranks six and four in Kitzbühel as well as third place in the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen - his last podium place in the World Cup - could höflehner within the Austrian team still for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville qualify. However, the ascending form of the World Cup races before could höflehner at the games do not implement, he only finished 17th departure rank.

In the following seasons 1992/1993 and 1993/1994 höflehner could barely connect to the past years. 1992/1993 he went three times into the top ten, while he was in the top 20 1993/1994 only in a race, but here with fourth place in Chamonix drew attention to himself again. Qualification for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer it was no longer possible, with the end of the 1993/1994 season, he finished at the age of 34 years of his career. Today höflehner, who is married and has two children, two chairlifts ( " Höfi Express" ) in the Hauser Kaibling operates.

Achievements

Olympic Winter Games

  • Sarajevo 1984: 5th exit
  • 1992 Albertville: 17 Departure

World Championships

  • Schladming 1982: 17 combination
  • Bormio 1985: 7 Departure
  • Crans -Montana 1987: 14 Departure
  • Vail 1989: 7 Departure
  • Saalbach -Hinterglemm 1991: DNF departure

World Cup

  • Winning the World Cup Downhill 1984/1985 and 1989/1990
  • Second place in the Downhill World Cup 1988/1989
  • 25 podiums including 10 victories:

Austrian Championships

  • Two-time Austrian champion in downhill in 1984 and 1993
Super-G Alpine skiing combined 1990 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1985 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1986 Alpine Skiing World Cup Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics Heavenly Mountain Resort Lake Louise (Alberta) Aspen (Colorado) FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1984 Alpine Skiing World Cup Panorama Mountain Village FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985 1987 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1987 Crans-Montana 1988 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1989 Vail (Colorado) 1991 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1991 1992 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1993 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1994 Alpine Skiing World Cup Alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics Italy France Arbeiter-Zeitung (Vienna) Armin Assinger
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