Walter Schuster

Walter Schuster ( born June 2, 1929 in Lermoos ) is a former Austrian alpine skier. He celebrated the end of the 1940s and in the 1950s, numerous victories in international races, was two-time Austrian Champion and won the bronze medal in the giant slalom at the Olympic Winter Games 1956.

Career

Schuster started early with the skiing. After the Second World War, he was one of the largest Austrian young talents, in 1948 Austrian Junior Champion in the downhill and a year later won the title in the slalom and combination. 1949 celebrated the trained masons in the giant slalom in Wildschönau and in the Seegrube his first victory in the general class.

With two third places in slalom and in the combination and the fourth place in the departure of the Tyrolean Lech qualified for the World Cup 1950 in Aspen, however, suffered the last training for the World Cup downhill a broken femur and had to finish the season. Also next winter he was still suffering from the effects of serious injury and denied any races, but completed during his enforced break the training to become a certified ski instructor.

In the season 1951/52, Schuster returned to racing and has already reached again a few podiums, including the slopes of Chamonix and the Gamperney derby in Grabs, in slalom and giant slalom of Schruns of St. Anton. In the winter of 1952/53, he managed to carve out the absolute world top. He celebrated a total of eleven victories, including the slalom and the giant slalom in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, a slalom in Seefeld and the giant slalom at the Zugspitze. The Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel, he finished second in the slalom and in combination, as well as fourth in the downhill at the Arlberg - Kandahar race in St. Anton, he finished third twice in slalom and in the combination.

The next season began Schuster with two wins in downhill and combination of Schruns and he was second place in both the Lauberhorn in Wengen slalom and in the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel. Therefore, for the 1954 World Cup in Åre, he was considered a great athlete who arrived at training but hard to fall, suffered a broken rib and missed again a major event. This time, the injury was far less serious than four years ago and already end of the season succeeded the Tiroler the slalom in the Vall de Núria his next victory.

Several victories celebrated shoemaker in the 1954/55 season. He won the downhill and combined at the Arlberg - Kandahar race in Murren, the combination of Chamonix, the slalom of Zakopane and the departure of Cervinia. More podiums reach him, for example, in the downhill and combined the Hahnenkamm race in the giant slalom and the 3- Tre race. In the winter of 1955/56, the Tyrolean only won the slalom in Seefeld, but turned his attention mainly on participation at the season climax from. This time he was also spared from injury problems and was able for the first time to participate in a major title fight at the Olympic Winter Games in 1956 in the Italian Cortina d'Ampezzo. In the giant slalom, he won the bronze medal behind while his countrymen Toni Sailer and Anderl Molterer, in the descent he was, however.

In the winter of 1956/57, Schuster did not achieve top rankings more and he finished after the season at the age of 27 years, his active career. The skiing he continued to get through his work as a ski instructor.

Achievements

Olympic Winter Games

• Cortina d' Ampezzo in 1956: 3 Giant Slalom

World Championships

• Cortina d' Ampezzo in 1956: 3 Giant Slalom

Austrian Championships

• Austrian champion in the downhill and giant slalom in 1953
• Austrian Junior Champion in downhill in 1948, slalom and combined in 1949