Franz Klammer - 1976 Olympic Gold Medal Run

[Puzzoozoo]

He was just a mortal man at the top of the run and 1 minute and 47.73 seconds later he was an immortal.

[bobdc]

While skiing yesterday I thought back to watching this live on TV when I was a kid and I was very happy to find it here on YouTube. If you want to see his actual run, skip ahead to 1:33.

[surfricy]

I remember seeing this live, and being amazed. In the moment, you didn't know if he would win or crash. Such abandon I have never seen before or since in the sport of skiing. Just great.

[ghtsw11]

This shows why people watch sports. Every time there is a chance that you will see something that you have never seen before and will not see again. Thank goodness for Youtube so you can relive this. Skiing's Golden Age. I remember it as being one of the most exciting moments ever in sport (on a par with Troy winning the Epsom Derby and Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup).

[stevezacharanda]

christ im going skiing for the first time tomorrow..

[pnutbutrncrackers]

Can't believe I found this. Indelible 6th grade memory. Heroic! And I'll never forget the excellence in sportsmanship that Bernhard Russi showed as his hopes for Olympic gold fell -- to me just as impressive as Klammer's downhill.

[wayvicle]

Franz is why I always try to almost wipe out when i take a turn. After I saw this run I knew nothing mattered, form, style who cares, just don't stop...Thank you Franz!!!

[theDLproject95]

When's a film going to be made about him?

[altfactor]

When sportscaster Frank Gifford (who did the play-by-play in this clip) retired, he stated in an interview that this was the greatest sporting event he broadcast, even though he did fifteen years of "NFL Monday Night Football", six Olympics, and a couple of Super Bowls, among others.

[duckie48]

I remember seeing this live in '76. It was like watching a runaway freight train that you expected to crash but somehow made it safe to the bottom. Talk about giving it your best shot!

[SlamDuncDrummer]

I also remember this run and it was by far the coolest thing that I had ever seen in the Olympics until the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team.

He put it ALL on the line. How could you not root for him.

[MajorSimFan]

1:30

[obrien0623]

In my opinion, perhaps the most exciting 1 minute and 45 seconds in sports history!

[obrien0623]

Thanks very much for posting this. I remember seeing his 1976 Innsbruck race live on TV. Franz Klammer has always been an idol of mine. I've seen him in interviews over the years, too. He's quite the champion.

[Devilfish6666]

Klammer hatte noch eier.........

[weakrecession]

I was a kid in Switzerland when I saw this race live, I skied my whole life, but never did I have more admiration for a sportsman as I had as a kid for Franz Klammer, despite the fact that I was supposed to root for Russi... Seing this video brings back such amazing memories! No one has ever come close to Klammer's achievements in downhill skiing ever since...

[tarmbruster1]

I had a poster in my room for years. One knee, way up, the other ski down near the snow. He was the best.

[tarmbruster1]

Ill never forget this run.

[MrSheffield8]

I wasn't even born when this this happened and I've never really payed much attention to skiing but this is just awe inspiring!!!

You must have some serious bottle to do this. He's obviously not only incredibly brave but has the ability to deliver under pressure when the chips are down, like all the greatest sportsmen. I'm going to watch it a few more times!!!!

[pergle673]

The most balls out fucking run ever!!! Bode miller and the rest are a bunch of amatuers compared to this guys run!!!

[batcolo]

@pergle673 I totally agree, also considering that his domination came competing with all those fantastic downhill skiers (Russi, Walcher, Plank, the Canadians)

[mjcamck71]

Thank You For Posting This. I have been looking for a video of this for years as it is my husband's favorite "Olympic Moment" of all time. When an athlete plows in to their task with this much determination, we fans are the Winners. And, on the subject of "winners" that's what I believe ALL these fine young athletes are. They have ALL dedicated themselves to a positive endeaver and they ALL deserve GOLD.

[Ripley44mag]

Nobody did it better !!!

[TracyAndersonFoxhunt]

somebody buy that dude a fucking beer

[wpmsd]

What incredible pressure there was on Klammer, with him the #1 downhiller and the Olympics taking place in his native Austria. so expectations were huge.On top of that, the leader, his archrival Russi, had just set a new world record. So to live up to those oversized expectations, Klammer had to go faster than anyone ever had. From almost falling coming out of the gate (what a monumental disaster that would have been!) to the moments when he was precariously flailing in midair, it was amazing!

[Ripley44mag]

Simply the Best !!

[doughtyafg]

jeeze.. those who ski race {( i do!) but imagagine trying to ski on the conditions of the late 70s and even late 80's!!!! now days we get parabolic skiis and the snow is frozen before a run.. makes you think !!!

[Zausner62]

I was 13 when I saw this race live. I mean exept Franz Klammers race. I didnt have the nerve to watch him, because I wanted him to win so badly. If he had not won, my world would have collapsed...

[HattieLovesCattie]

@Zausner62 How neat to see it live.I have been to Innsbruck and saw some of the Olympic venues.Do Franz's daughters ski?

[Zausner62]

@HattieLovesCattie I dont know, but I am sure his daughters can ski, just

not in races...

[HattieLovesCattie]

@Zausner62 Thanks for your reply.There are many Olympic champions who's children aren't interested in sports,competitively.

[Ripley44mag]

Yep he was the best

[VederchiHarry]

The only man who could've beat Franz was Roland Colombin of Switzerland. Unfortunatly He crashed and broke his back at Val d'Isère the Year before.

Never the less, even though I'm swiss, I must admit that Franz is the Kaiser of downhill!

I hated this guy for winnig of these races but ended by buying a pair of FISHER C4!

Greatest Respect from Switzerland! ;)

[Zausner62]

@VederchiHarry Collombin didnt break his back, he is still running around

[VederchiHarry]

@Zausner62 Roland Collombin broke a vertebrae in 1974 in Val d'Isère. Came back in 1975 and broke his back on the very same jump! He stayed several months in the Center for paraplegics in Basel and alomost lost the use of his legs. Today, he's able to walk.

[XceptionalXistence]

awesome

[benjix600]

awesome clip!  LOL

[labpoint]

Saw this live at age 11. We spent a lot of time imitating the man. had his poster in the room with the classic yellow. ..airborn of course. What a moment. hadn't seen this since 76. Thanks!!

[bigphreaking]

@labpoint Nice post. We lived at Lake Tahoe and had that poster too. I don't think we'll see his kind again anytime soon.

[fp515]

every time i see the winter olimpics i think of Franz.. i can honestly say that i will never see another run like this in my life time.. still brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart every time i see this video...

[alfazedz]

The commentator for the women's olympic DH just referenced Klammer's historic run. Epic.

[croosb]

I was 12 and saw this broadcast - it will stick with me forever - very similar to a few Tiger Woods wins - just such heavy expectations and somehow came through. It's as spectacular now as it was when it was live.

[weed1861]

I saw this live in 1976. Was in college at the time. As a Giant sports fan, I have seen a lot of things, but nothing has ever come close to the suspense and excitement of Klammer's run to the gold metal! Best sporting event I have ever seen!

[harryhud]

I saw this live as well in 76 and have not seen it equaled since. The ADHD inspired frenetic pace of todays TV coverage just does not bring out the suspense and drama as it did then. And of course for someone of my generation, any ski coverage without the call of Bob Beattie is somehow just a little bit wanting.

[bufbarnaby]

I got into skiing about 5 years prior to this , and saw this live on TV. To this day , it is the most amazing thing in sports I have seen.

He was our hero growing up. I wanted Fisher skis like Franz used !

[Freefare300]

Saw this live too. Wow this was really something!

[kellyjam1]

I saw this live and consider it to be the greatest individual effort in Olympics in my lifetime. Gold and he was a hero anything less and he was a goat. I thought Beattie was going to have a heart attack lol. I am also old enough to have seen live "The Agony of Defeat" ski jumper Vinko Bogataj whose crash was shown every week on Wide World of Sports.

[dlw1770]

I saw this live at age eleven. It was a thrilling run. I think Frank Gifford did a good job announcing, and so did the co-anchor- I can't recall who he was but Im pretty sure he was an ex-downhiller himself. Klammer was a true champ.

[PPDKing]

Yeah I remember seeing this run live also! At that time I had never even had a pair of sno skis on my feet, but I was jumping up and down in my chair for Klammer! A classic moment in sports!!

[tacovine]

Yup.. I watched it live.. the best sports performance under pressure I've ever seen.. I believe this was the last or one of the last runs of the day and the course was getting icy and full of ruts. Klammer would not be denied..

[ranhill]

I am an African-American male and I do not follow skiing at all. But if you were to ask me to name one Downhill skier, I would say without hesitation Franz Klammer. I was 14 years old when I saw this live and, 34 years later, it has stayed with me to this day. I was amazed. He was gonna win or die trying.

[baculite182]

Wow-- I watched this live and was so thrilled that he won--- what a great all out effort--one of my favorite Olympic memories.

[HattieLovesCattie]

They showed that race so many times.What is Franz doing today?I know he married an Austrian city gal that knew nothing about him or sports and they have 2 daughters.

[falchard]

Wow that isn't like watching today's downhill skiers, its like watching a motor race.

[tubeyounity]

I remember getting our Sports Illustrated with Klammer on the cover shot....it's been 34 years since seeing this run. Klammer's run cemented this as my favorite Winter Olympic sport. Great commentary by Gifford and Beattie (oh, he's almost out into the hay bales!) Man on skis vs. mountain...man wins!

[rzotz]

I was ten years old when I watched Klammer's run on ABC, and was amazed. The downhill has been my favorite Winter Games event ever since.

[thestoren]

I saw this live on ABC in 1976 (well, maybe on tape or film) and never forgot it. The most amazing downhill ever recorded.

[xxRANGERFAN27xx]

Wow this is really amazing. I don't know anybody who could do anything like this.

[germurph51]

Greatest single sports acheivement I've ever seen- i was riveted to the TV and saw this glorious event as it happened

[garfieldrada]

es increible tengo 13 anios y mi papa me dijo q lo buscara es impresionant y con lo q me gusta esquiar es como si yo mismo estuviera esquiando... genial!!!

[79TigerJames]

I couldn't sit on my couch watching this. Remember standing in front of the tv leaning from side to side as if it were me skiing. It was ELECTRIC!!

[martydm22]

I remember sitting on the edge of the couch watching this!

[neilus]

wow,that was WILD!

[78klinger]

im an olympic nutbag, haveing said this i rake this down hill run on top 3 alltime great olympic events. thank utbe for being able to relive this time at a push of a button,for those who watched this im sure they well never forget F RA NZ u are the MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dazzledon]

Glad the stats were included at the end. My brother and I were just talking about this specific event tonight. Great to see it again.

[travelinlightbill]

I was 13 when I saw this and I will never forget it. Even watching this run now, 34 years later, it gave me a rush like nothing else. Never have I seen anyone do anything so completely on the edge between success and death, focusing a lifetime's worth of training into the most intense, frightening and exhilarating sports moment ever. Beautiful.

[57DiverDave]

Winter Olympic history.

Whenever I think of the Olympics this is what I think of.

Just a wild man, and I too, wanted to "ski very fast" after seeing that.

What a rush seeing it again

[jtee14]

Not to take a thing away from Klammer, it was one of the most incredible runs in downhill history.What people fail to remember is that as a result of a bad luck draw the first racer to take the course at Innsbruck was Bernhard Russi of Switzerland. He held the lead over every competitor that followed until Klammer made his historic run for the gold. Russi finished only 0.33 sec behind Klammer for the silver.

[gymbo63]

1976 winter olympics... innsbruck austria...mens downhill....frank gifford bob beattie on the call...i was 13 yrs old... one of the finest sporting performances of that century...klammer had to have gold,anything else was unacceptable to the austrian people...the course was beat up....klammer saved his best for this race...if there ever was the right race at the right time...this had to be it!!!!

[megjonaslove333]

The Kaiser was the best...this was a downhill for the ages. Unimaginable pressure to win the gold for his home nation. His records speak for themselves.

[conradsdad]

As I recall he raced rather late in the day (the announcer notes that most of the others had already run), and my mother and I thrilled to this. His spread-eagle jump at the mid-point was almost too hard to watch.

[brianclough]

Unbelievable

[BuffaloHead444]

Every time the Winter Olympics come around I remember this. Here was a guy who competed in a way that convinced me he would have preferred to die trying to win than to finishing 2nd.

[coffeestat]

My friend a VCR (yes they had just come out) and had taped this and we watched it over and over he was so crazy on the edge...love seeing it again. Just the thrill it gives one watching him fly down that hill.

[varasano]

I remember seeing this live when I was 10. It really was just one of those great moments. I even remembered the yellow outfit as he just flew down that hill with no thought of safety whatsoever. Amazing

[RMCDisciple]

"Attack" the mountain best describes his runs. Awesome

[esahadi]

Love football. Baseball is my favorite sport, but... watching this as a 12 year old in '76... wow! Even as a Texas boy much more familiar with dust and heat than cold and snow I was on the edge of my seat for that incredible, exhilarating run of a lifetime. Klammer seemed to defy the laws of physics. Wish that there were a better quality video available.

[ewoldt]

@esahadi

You understand. I was 7 and my heroes were Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Reds.....Then there were those that I rarely saw like Dr. J in the ABA and Franz Klammer.....it was magical for a young Iowa kid.

[RedTex45]

And mine.

Klammer was behind in the times, and all the commentators had ruled out his chance of winning.

His effort was absolutely heroic.

[eltamin1966]

Klammer often won his races in the second half of the run, he was usually getting stronger and stronger the longer the race lasted. I was a great fan back then and very relieved after the race. There was hardly ever such pressure on an Alpine skier to win after his chain of brilliant successes since December 1974.

[bmwloco]

I saw it as a 12 year old in America, in a small mountain town. I will never, ever forget. I had never seen anything like it.

It inspired me to ski, Fast :)

[camarge]

I was in Italy ,seeing on television at that time,and i cried of emotion at the end.You could feel magic being happening.For me was the greatest ever downhill race performed by a human being.

[scroadload]

My friend and I were watching this live at the time and when he crossed the finish line my friend and I were exhausted. What a run, one I will remember forever!!!!

[schste0]

uah, da krieg ich noch immer eine Gänsehaut.

[DasLebendesBrain]

Franz Klammer ist eine Legende.

Franz Klammer is a legend.

[ikshields]

This musician will never forget the lesson that Mr Klammer lightning-struck into my young brain, as I sat in front of the TV that beautiful Winter afternoon.

Meticulous preparation

+ letting it fly

= artistry

This one's for the ages, and for anyone. :-)

[kiplng]

I remember watching it as a little kid and being in awe of the out of control, all out skiing. The cameras and overall video technology today are far superior to what was used in 1976, so the run doesn't seem so exciting relative to what we can see today. If it were filmed today, it would be a jaw dropping run.

[RedTex45]

It *WAS* a jaw-dropping run!

It was one of the greatest moments in Olympic history,  and it still gives me chills to watch it.

[mfarmer1]

Simply put, my favorite all-time Olympic moment.

[ylekiot43]

That was an epic moment in Winter Olympics history.

[oTRIGGA]

so, he won, whats the big deal

[TheRallygal]

@oTRIGGA It is (and was) a "big deal." Anyone who saw it at the time will never forget how thrilling it was. You must have been too young in 1976 to have seen "The Kaiser" win the gold.

[dogjones65]

I saw this as a kid in '76 and I'll never forget it. Klammer was at the absolute edge of his Herculean abilities at all times. Just going for it, all out. Amazing! Total balls! Still an inspiration.

[eltamin1966]

The pressure on Klammer in that race was enormous - the great favorite at home in Innsbruck, having unprecedently dominated the last two winters. But in Alpine Skiing there is lot of uncertainty, one never knows. I was a great fan back then, and very relieved after Klammer's victory.

[ack1961]

thanks for this. One of the greatest Olympic moments in history!!

[yaknbo]

Thank you! This full version of his downhill has been oddly absent from YouTube till recently. This is GREAT!

[ruymxsx7]

gracias, un momento epico para el esqui y el descenso en particular, un video muy bueno y de gran calidad de imagen

[cr500rebuild]

awesome posting this. one of the best olympic moments in history. you posted the uncut version. incredible. the others only showed portions. great job.

[lemonite1]

It always appeared as if Klammer was going to catch an edge and eat it.... bad. His legs seemed wobbly and out of control, standing up too much, getting too much air. Yet, he always won, classic.

[yaknbo]

I think what you describe is sheer courage.

[7BallCascade]

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! I last saw Franz Klammer's timeless 1976 Olympic Winter Games downhill run in Winter 1976. Those Games remain my favorite and Franz Klammer's athletic performance remains, for me, the greatest. Thank you soooo much.

[cr500rebuild]

100% correct. I remember watching this on tv when he let it all hang out. what a stud. what a champion he later said that he was scared out of his mind the entire time, but he knew he had to go for it or risk losing the gold and his legacy.

[utube9000]

I too remember the winter games of 1976. I was a child and Austria seemed like a magical fairyland to me.

And yes- the downhill run by Franz Klammer was my favorite moment of the games. I haven't seen it since 1976 and thought I'd never see it again - thank God for Youtube!

[MrTomWjones]

Just about the most memorable televised two minutes of all time!  Like he was falling from a cliff in fast forward, only to land on his feet at the bottom, arms raised.

I was a 10 year-old ski fanatic from Virginia (!), already well acquainted with Klammer from magazines, tv, and newspapers. I remember VIVIDLY watching this "live." I recorded it on audiocassette, expecting something worthwhile, back in the days before everyone had VHS, never mind DVD or Tivo. Still have the tape!

AWESOME.

[HoundmanV]

I had looked for this vid many times, and finally found this version. That was an incredible Olympics for Klammer. Every time i watch the winter Olympics I think of him and this run.

[eltamin1966]

Thanks for posting the whole race.

The superiority Klammer showed in the three winters 1975 - 1977 was never before and never again equalled in Downhill - often with leads of more than 2 seconds.

Stenmark did likewise in Slalom and especially Giant Slalom around the same time and until the early 80s.

[Teupupaschere]

Thank you Franzweberinc for that great moment.

Klammer has so much speed he makes tons of mystakes and wins it anyway. What a great race it was. Russi had already attacked like a Kamikaze but it was not enough!

[skimalaya]

Thank you! I've been looking for that video for years! One of my all time favorite Olympic moments.

[orcstr8d]

Finally! an uncut version of one of the most balls out performances in Winter Olympics history.

[timechannel]

To ski like that ..makes him the bravest  man alive !!!!!!!!!!!!

[orcstr8d]

Or the craziest man alive!!- on skis.

[timechannel]

Sport can look easy on TV..as a "holiday" skier I remember deciding to ski "La Face" in Meribel ..HaHa only took me 30 Minutes !

Cricket ..easy on TV fo face Thommo & Lillie..but in reality it's a millisecond if you get the missile in the face or not. Calzaghe's punches slow?..he'd hit you so fast.you'd think you were sur... ugh .. ugh.rounde.argh r

[orcstr8d]

And when I'm swinging a golf club I can't decide if I look like Vijay or Freddie.

[timechannel]

No matter i'f you black or white..ouch.poor Bubbles !?

Golf J Nicklaus..old school. Rugby : JPR Williams

fancy a collision with a human Juggernaut.

The Best ever in his Sport : Easy !

Phil Taylor - the King of Darts

[brettrose1125]

Remember watching this race live as a young 10 year-old boy in California... and have never forgot it! One of the all-time greatest Olympic moments. Thanks, for sharing and posting. Terrific.

[gutterspout]

Man, he just went for it, or would die trying. I never get tired of watching this, saw it live when I was little, unbelievable.