Josef Walcher

Josef " Sepp " Walcher ( born December 8, 1954 in Schladming, † 22 January 1984 ) was an Austrian alpine skier. The downhill specialist won five World Cup races and was three times Austrian Champion. His greatest achievement was the world champion title in the downhill at the 1978 World Ski Championships.

Career

Walcher started early with the skiing at the age of eight, he was accepted into the Winter Sports Club Schladming. His career was repeatedly interrupted by injuries, the first time in 1969, when he was sidelined for several months after a broken leg.

In 1972, the Styrian was first Austrian downhill champion and then came into the World Cup squad of the Austrian Ski Federation. His first World Cup race was the downhill in Val d'Isere on 10 December 1972 in which he finished in twelfth place. On February 11, 1973, he took in St. Moritz the first World Cup points, as he finished a surprise second place behind Werner Grissmann. In Lienz he was for the second time Austrian champion in the downhill. In December 1973, Walcher was third in Zell am See, but otherwise only reached once more World Cup points and could not within the strong Austrian downhill team qualify for the World Championships in St. Moritz. On January 5, 1975 Walcher drove in Garmisch -Partenkirchen for the third time on the podium, but came a few days later in downhill training at the Lauberhorn in Wengen heavy crash and had to finish the season. In the winter of 1975/76 he managed third place in Kitzbühel still jump into the Olympic team and finished at the Winter Games in Innsbruck in ninth place.

In the 1976/77 season Walcher celebrated his first World Cup victory in the departures of Morzine and Heavenly Valley and came twice to second place. He was so behind the superior Franz Klammer second in the downhill World Cup and came in the World Cup to eighth place. The next winter began, the Styrian with a third place in Val d'Isere and in January he won both downhill on the Streif in Kitzbühel ( the Second simultaneously with the German Sepp Ferstl ). The greatest success of his career, the then 23 -year-old celebrated a week later at the 1978 World Cup in Garmisch -Partenkirchen. With seven hundredths of a second ahead of German Michael Veith Walcher was downhill world champion. In the overall World Cup itself Walcher binned this time at the seventh position in the downhill World Cup he was as in the previous second behind clip. In the Austrian Championships Schladming won for the third time downhill skiing. Thanks to his World Cup success, he was elected in 1978 to Austria's sportsman of the year.

On December 16, 1978 Walcher celebrated in the downhill in Val Gardena his fifth - and last - World Cup victory. The next day he came to the second exit on the Saslong to fall, hurt himself and reached the rest winter none top ten results more. In the season 1979/80 Walcher came into the departures of Wengen on the second and fifth rank, thus securing a place in the downhill team for the Winter Olympics 1980. Weil but the original mitgereiste only as a substitute driver to Lake Placid Leonhard Stock after good performances in training but a Fixstartplatz got (and also the first place in the downhill reached ), together with Werner Walcher had Grissmann and Peter Wirnsberger in the qualification, in which he defeated the two, and therefore could not start in the race.

In the 1980/81 season Walcher could not keep up with the best in the world. A fifth place in St. Anton am Arlberg was his best result. The next winter he came only twice in the top ten and he also missed the World Cup in his home town of Schladming. At the end of the season Walcher announced his resignation.

During his active career married Walcher and was the father of three children. Following the resignation he led in Schladming, a café, a ski lodge and a guesthouse. On 22 January 1984 Walcher was killed at the age of 29 years at a charity ski race.

Sporting successes

Olympic Winter Games

  • Innsbruck 1976: 9 Departure

World Championships

  • Innsbruck 1976: 9 Departure
  • Garmisch -Partenkirchen 1978: 1st exit

World Cup

  • 1976/ 77: 8 Overall World Cup, 2nd exit summary
  • 1977/ 78: 7 Overall World Cup, 2nd exit summary
  • 1979/ 80: 7 Departure rating

World Cup wins

Walcher won five runs, four times in second place, four times third and came more 20 times in the top ten.

European Cup

  • 1972/73 season: 10 departure rating
  • A podium

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian Champion in downhill 1972, 1973 and 1978

Awards

  • Austria's sportsman of the year 1978
  • Carrier of the Ring of Honour and an honorary citizen of Schladming
Medal FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1978 1978 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1977 Alpine Skiing World Cup Lake Placid, New York 1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1982 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 Alpine skiing at the 1976 Winter Olympics France 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 Harti Weirather 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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