Thomas Stangassinger

Thomas Stangas Singer ( born September 15, 1965 in Hallein ) is a former Austrian alpine skier. He belonged in the 1990s to the world's best slalom racers, won the Ski World Cup Slalom race ten, drove a total of 37 times on the podium and won the 1999 slalom World Cup. In 1994 he became Olympic champion in slalom at the World Championships he won a silver and a bronze medal.

Career

Stangassinger belonged since 1981 to the squad of the Austrian Ski Federation, and participated in the Junior World Championships in 1982 and 1983. In Sestriere in 1983, he reached the fourth place in the slalom. In the same year he was Austrian Junior Champion in Giant Slalom. In the European Cup, he finished second in the 1983/84 season with a win and three other podium finishes in third place in the overall standings and second place in the slalom standings.

The first points in the World Cup took Stangassinger on 16 December 1984 and fifth place in the slalom the 3- Tre race in Madonna di Campiglio, the day after he arrived in the combination on the second place. At the World Cup 1985 in Bormio, he raced in the combination, but fell in the second slalom passage out. In December 1985 he drove in the slalom in Kranjska Gora again on the podium, but did not thereafter throughout the winter in the top ten. Without top places he remained for the next season and so the Salzburg was missing at the World Championships in Switzerland in 1987. After a second place in the slalom in Bad Kleinkirchheim Stangassinger was at the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary in 1988 are back, finished second in the combination of the 13th, he could not finish the slalom. From the 1988/89 season started Stangassinger only in the technical disciplines and denied no more combinations. In his best World Cup rankings in the winter were 1988/89 two sixth places in the slalom in St. Anton and Furano, at the World Championships 1989 he finished ninth slalom ranking.

On December 3, 1989 Stangassinger celebrated in the slalom at Mont Sainte -Anne his first World Cup victory, but came a second time during the rest of the season on the podium. From the 1990/91 season went Stangassinger also no longer giant slalom and focused now completely on the slalom. In the World Cup he achieved two podium places this winter. At the season's peak, the 1991 World Championships in Saalbach -Hinterglemm, he was only beaten by Marc Girardelli and won the silver medal. The following winter he fell back a little, a sixth place in Sestriere was his best result of the season, and at the Olympic Winter Games in Albertville in 1992 he came even to the ninth. In the season 1992 /93 Stangassinger increased again, he drove a total of three times on the podium and celebrated on 24 January in Veysonnaz his second World Cup victory. In the slalom World Cup he came for the first time among the top three. At the 1993 World Championships in Japan Morioka Shizukuishi he took for the second time precious metal and won the bronze medal behind Norwegian Aamodt and the starting for Luxembourg Girardelli.

In the 1993/94 season Stangassinger won in Park City and Kitzbuhel and was second twice, each behind Alberto Tomba. He reached, also behind Tomba, ranked second in the slalom World Cup. The greatest success of his career celebrated the 28 -year-old at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. With superior fastest time in the first round, he referred Tomba to second place and was Olympic champion in slalom. He subsequently received the Golden Badge of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria and was chosen by the Austrian sports journalists Sportsman of the Year. A shoulder injury suffered during the summer affected the Salzburger throughout the 1994/95 season and he went first to the end of season in Bormio for the only time this winter on the podium. In the next season he came only once in the top three. Due to illness he was unable to start in the World Cup 1996.

Stangassinger managed to significantly improve again in the season 1996 / 97th He ran eight times on the podium, winning the slalom in Shigakogen. Thus, he placed second in the slalom World Cup behind compatriot Thomas Sykora. But with the World Cup 1997 in Sestriere he stayed behind his World Cup results and only came in sixth place. In the 1997/98 season Stangassinger won the slalom in Park City, Veysonnaz and Kitzbühel and came two more times on the podium. In the slalom World Cup he was again beaten by Thomas Sykora, this time only for scarce four points. At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano in 1998, he came only to the rather disappointing sixth place.

With two wins in Aspen and in the Sierra Nevada and three second places Stangassinger managed in the 1998/99 season also winning the slalom World Cup, after he had been already been three times runner-up. But with the 1999 World Cup he could again win any medal and once again took sixth place. The 1999/2000 season was Stangas Singers last. He drove four more times in the top three and was fifth in the slalom World Cup. Stangassinger finished in the spring of 2000 by 145 world cup slalom races, of which he won 10 and another 26 finished among the fastest three, at the age of 34 years of his career.

Achievements

Olympic Winter Games

  • Calgary 1988: 13 combination
  • Albertville 1992: 9 Slalom
  • Lillehammer 1994: 1 Slalom
  • Nagano 1998: 6 Slalom

World Championships

  • Vail 1989: 9 Slalom
  • Saalbach -Hinterglemm 1991: 2nd Slalom
  • Morioka Shizukuishi 1993: 3rd slalom
  • Sestriere 1997: 6 Slalom
  • Vail / Beaver Creek 1999: 6 Slalom

Junior World Championships

  • Auron 1982: 30 Departure
  • Sestriere 1983: 4th Slalom

World Cup

Stangassinger won 10 World Cup slalom:

In addition, 15 second and 11 third places in slalom and a second place in a combination.

European Cup

  • Season 1983/84: 3rd overall, 2nd slalom rating
  • Five wins, a further five podiums

Austrian Championships

  • Austrian champion in slalom in 1992

Awards

  • Austria's sportsman of the year 1994
  • Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria 1994
Slalom skiing Alpine skiing combined Winter Olympic Games Alpine skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1991 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1993 1997 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1990 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1999 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1985 Alpine Skiing World Cup List of Olympic medalists in alpine skiing FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985 Municipality of Kranjska Gora Furano, Hokkaido FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1989 Mont Sainte-Anne 1993 Alpine Skiing World Cup Morioka, Iwate 1994 Alpine Skiing World Cup Park City (Utah) 1995 Alpine Skiing World Cup 1996 Alpine Skiing World Cup FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1997 1998 Alpine Skiing World Cup Nagano, Nagano Aspen (Colorado) Sierra Nevada (Spain) FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1999 2000 Alpine Skiing World Cup Alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics Othmar Schneider Ernst Hinterseer Josef Stiegler Jean-Claude Killy Piero Gros Ingemar Stenmark Finn Christian Jagge Jean-Pierre Vidal Benjamin Raich Giuliano Razzoli Mario Matt
773625
de