Herbert Huber

Herbert Huber ( born December 4, 1944 in Kitzbuehel, † July 15, 1970 ) was an Austrian alpine skier, who was mainly specialized in the technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom. He won the silver medal in the slalom at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, won three World Cup races and each achieved a third place in the World Cup and in the giant slalom World Cup and finished fourth in the slalom World Cup. 1966 and 1968 he was Austrian Champion in slalom.

Career

Herbert Huber came as his older brother Fritz by his father for ski racing. In the winter of 1965 he scored first victories in FIS races in Lebanon, and in 1966 it reached second place in the slalom of Mürren and in slalom and combination of Hemsedal. In February 1966, he was Austrian Champion in slalom and runner-up in the combination and secured not least it a starting position for which takes place in the summer of 1966 World Cup in Portillo. There, however, he dropped out in the first slalom run.

In the first World Cup race in history, a slalom on January 5, 1967 in Berchtesgaden, Huber scored the eighth. After another top-10 results on March 11, as he stood third in the slalom in Franconia for the first time on the podium and celebrated two weeks later in the slalom in Jackson Hole his first World Cup victory. He was sixth in the 1967 World Cup slalom and eighth in the overall World Cup in the season. In the season 1968 Huber initially scored several top 10 results in the World Cup. At the 1968 Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble, which also included a World Championship, he finished third in the slalom behind Karl Schranz and Jean -Claude Killy. After the disqualification of Schranz Huber won the silver medal. In March and April, he won two giant slalom in Rossland and Heavenly Valley and scored two second-place finishes in the slalom in Aspen and Heavenly Valley. He reached in his most successful World Cup season - the Olympic Games also included to the World Cup - the third overall and giant slalom World Cup and finished fourth in the World Cup slalom, in each case as best Austrian. He was also in 1968 for the second time Austrian slalom champion.

In the 1968/69 season Huber remained without victory, but drove in eight of the nine World Cup slaloms in the top ten and was three times as second and even third place on the podium, which he in the slalom World Cup five points behind the four ex - aequo winners Augert, Russel, Matt Penz and finished fifth. In contrast, giant slalom he scored only two tenth places, so he fell back in the overall World Cup in tenth. In the season 1969/70 Huber reached the points only in the race from Lienz in December. He was ninth in the giant slalom and second in the slalom. Then he went in no more World Cup races in the top ten and also failed to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in Val Gardena.

On July 15, 1970 committed Huber, who suffered from depression and had suffered a nervous breakdown for the 1970 World Cup after a failed qualifying race, in his apartment in Kitzbühel suicide.

Sporting successes

Olympic Winter Games

( included at the same time as World Championships )

  • Grenoble 1968: 2nd Slalom

World Cup

  • Season 1967: 8th overall World Cup, 6th slalom World Cup
  • Season 1968: 3rd overall World Cup, 3rd giant slalom World Cup, 4th slalom World Cup
  • 1968/69 season: 10 Overall World Cup 5 World Cup Slalom
  • 12 podiums including 3 victories:

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian champion in slalom in 1966 and 1968
Slalom skiing Winter Olympic Games 1968 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966 Portillo (Chile) 1967 Alpine Skiing World Cup Jean-Claude Killy Rossland, British Columbia Heavenly Mountain Resort Aspen (Colorado) 1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup Patrick Russel Alfred Matt Alain Penz 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 Major depressive disorder Mental breakdown Arbeiter-Zeitung (Vienna)
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