Christl Cranz
Encyclopedia
Christl Franziska Antonia Cranz-Borchers (1 July 1914 – 28 September 2004) was a German
alpine skier. Crantz was the dominating skier of the 1930s winning twelve world championship titles
between 1934 and 1939. At the 1936 Winter Olympics
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
she won the Alpine skiing combined
competition (slalom and downhill).
Cranz was born 1914 in Brussels
. She was the older sister of Rudolf Cranz
. After the break-out of World War I
, Cranz and her family fled from Belgium to Traifelberg near Reutlingen
. There Cranz learnt skiing. Afterward the family moved to Grindelwald
and Freiburg
.
Alongside her apprenticeship as trainer and philologist she started a successful skiing career. In 1934 she won all titles at the German Championship. At the world championship in St. Anton
she won in the slalom and in the combined competition and was second in downhill (after Swiss Anny Rüegg
). She won all titles at the world championships in 1937 (Chamonix ) and 1939 (Zakopane). To this day Cranz remains the most successful competitor at Alpine World Skiing Championships
with twelve gold and three silver medals.
At the 1936 Winter Olympics
Cranz won the newly established alpine combined competition after a spectacular race. After a crash in the downhill competition Cranz was 19 seconds behind Laila Schou Nilsen
(Norway
), but she managed to win after two outstanding slalom races ahead of Käthe Grasegger (Germany) and Schou Nilsen.
At the 1941 world championship in Cortina d'Ampezzo
, Cranz won three additional titles and then retired. Taking place during World War II
with only Germany-friendly athletes, the championship was not acknowledged by the International Ski Federation
.
In 1943 Cranz married Adolf Borchers
. After the end of the war she was arrested because of her collaboration with the Nazis and was forced to do farmwork for eleven months. Cranz fled into the American Occupation Zone
in 1947. Later she founded a skiing school with her husband, which she led until 1987. Cranz was admitted to the Hall of Fame of International Women's Sports.
Cranz died at the age of ninety, in Oberstaufen-Steibis, Germany
, in 2004.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
alpine skier. Crantz was the dominating skier of the 1930s winning twelve world championship titles
Alpine World Skiing Championships
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are organized by the International Ski Federation . The first world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. During the 1930s, the event was held annually in Europe, until interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, preventing a 1940 event...
between 1934 and 1939. At the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
she won the Alpine skiing combined
Alpine skiing combined
Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...
competition (slalom and downhill).
Cranz was born 1914 in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. She was the older sister of Rudolf Cranz
Rudolf Cranz
Heinz-Rudolf "Rudi" Cranz was a German alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics.He was born in Uccle, Belgium and died in Różaniec, Przemyśl Voivodeship...
. After the break-out of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Cranz and her family fled from Belgium to Traifelberg near Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Reutlingen is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of April 2008, it has a population of 109,828....
. There Cranz learnt skiing. Afterward the family moved to Grindelwald
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at above sea level in the Bernese Alps.-Winter sports:...
and Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
.
Alongside her apprenticeship as trainer and philologist she started a successful skiing career. In 1934 she won all titles at the German Championship. At the world championship in St. Anton
St. Anton
Sankt Anton am Arlberg is a village and ski resort in Tyrol, western Austria, with a permanent population of approximately . It is situated at above sea level in the Tyrolean Alps, with Aerial tramways and chairlifts up to . It is also a popular summer resort among trekkers and...
she won in the slalom and in the combined competition and was second in downhill (after Swiss Anny Rüegg
Anny Rüegg
Anny Rüegg is a Swiss alpine skier and world champion. She was born in Chur.Rüegg won a gold medal at the 1934 World Championships in St. Moritz, winning the Downhill event, and a gold medal in slalom at the 1935 World Championships in Mürren.-References:...
). She won all titles at the world championships in 1937 (Chamonix ) and 1939 (Zakopane). To this day Cranz remains the most successful competitor at Alpine World Skiing Championships
Alpine World Skiing Championships
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are organized by the International Ski Federation . The first world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. During the 1930s, the event was held annually in Europe, until interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, preventing a 1940 event...
with twelve gold and three silver medals.
At the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
Cranz won the newly established alpine combined competition after a spectacular race. After a crash in the downhill competition Cranz was 19 seconds behind Laila Schou Nilsen
Laila Schou Nilsen
Laila Schou Nilsen was a Norwegian speed skater, alpine skier and tennis player. She was one of the pioneers in Norwegian as well as international speed skating for women.-Biography:...
(Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
), but she managed to win after two outstanding slalom races ahead of Käthe Grasegger (Germany) and Schou Nilsen.
At the 1941 world championship in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
, Cranz won three additional titles and then retired. Taking place during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with only Germany-friendly athletes, the championship was not acknowledged by the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
.
In 1943 Cranz married Adolf Borchers
Adolf Borchers
Adolf Borchers was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat...
. After the end of the war she was arrested because of her collaboration with the Nazis and was forced to do farmwork for eleven months. Cranz fled into the American Occupation Zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
in 1947. Later she founded a skiing school with her husband, which she led until 1987. Cranz was admitted to the Hall of Fame of International Women's Sports.
Cranz died at the age of ninety, in Oberstaufen-Steibis, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in 2004.