Karl Schranz
Encyclopedia
Karl Schranz is a former champion alpine ski racer
, one of the best in the 1960s
.
During his lengthy career (1958–72), Schranz won twenty major downhills, many major giant slalom
races and several major slaloms
. Late in his career he was the successor to Jean-Claude Killy
as the World Cup overall champion; Schranz won the title at age 30 in the third World Cup season of 1969
, and repeated in 1970
. He was also the downhill champion for those two seasons and was the giant slalom season champion in 1969. Schranz won the classic Lauberhorn
downhill at Wengen
, Switzerland
, four times (1959, 1963, 1966, and 1969) and the classic Hahnenkamm
downhill at Kitzbühel
, Austria
, twice (1969 & 1972).
were unfortunately his nemesis.
His disqualification from his fourth Olympics in 1972
for acknowledging that he was not a pure amateur
(like all other top racers) caused a furor and the reform of the IOC
. In his first Olympics at age 21, Schranz was injured in 1960
, but started anyway and finished seventh in both the downhill and giant slalom. He won a silver medal in giant slalom in 1964
at Innsbruck
, despite being ill with the flu. He won no medals in 1968
at Grenoble
, where his first slalom run (in the thick fog) was the fastest and his second was interfered with, by a race official stepping on the course. Forced to repeat his second run, he finished first overall, only to be disqualified by a 3-2 jury decision, because a second race official later claimed he had missed a gate prior to his being interfered with by the other race official. As Killy had already won gold in the downhill and giant slalom, there was a great deal of controversy over the suspicion that partisan French officials were attempting unfairly to prevent Schranz from winning so that Killy would sweep all three races, duplicating Toni Sailer
's 1956
sweep. Schranz had better success at the world championships (then held every four years, like the Olympics): gold in the downhill and combined
in 1962
and gold in the giant slalom in 1970
.
Had the World Cup begun a decade earlier, Schranz's outstanding achievements during his prime would be far better known. He would for instance rank behind only Klammer as the second best downhiller ever and would have been the overall world cup champion three (1966,69,70) or more times.
Schranz later became a hotel
owner in his hometown of St. Anton and played a key role in organizing the 2001 World Championships
.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
, one of the best in the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
.
During his lengthy career (1958–72), Schranz won twenty major downhills, many major giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
races and several major slaloms
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
. Late in his career he was the successor to Jean-Claude Killy
Jean-Claude Killy
Jean-Claude Killy was an alpine ski racer, who dominated the sport in the late 1960s. He was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there...
as the World Cup overall champion; Schranz won the title at age 30 in the third World Cup season of 1969
1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...
, and repeated in 1970
1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title....
. He was also the downhill champion for those two seasons and was the giant slalom season champion in 1969. Schranz won the classic Lauberhorn
Lauberhorn
The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level....
downhill at Wengen
Wengen
Wengen may refer to:*Wengen, a village and winter resort in Switzerland*La Val, a commune in South Tyrol, Italy with the German name "Wengen"*in Germany:**Wengen , a village in the municipality of Nennslingen in Mittelfranken...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, four times (1959, 1963, 1966, and 1969) and the classic Hahnenkamm
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...
downhill at Kitzbühel
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, twice (1969 & 1972).
Olympics
The OlympicsAlpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
were unfortunately his nemesis.
His disqualification from his fourth Olympics in 1972
Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Sapporo, Japan, from February 5–13, 1972. The downhills were held at Mount Eniwa, and the four technical events at Teine.-Downhill:February 7, 1972...
for acknowledging that he was not a pure amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
(like all other top racers) caused a furor and the reform of the IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
. In his first Olympics at age 21, Schranz was injured in 1960
Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held in Squaw Valley, California, U.S.A., from February 20–26, 1960.These were the last Olympics with times recorded in tenths of a second; times in 1964 were recorded in hundredths....
, but started anyway and finished seventh in both the downhill and giant slalom. He won a silver medal in giant slalom in 1964
Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Innsbruck, Austria, from January 30 to February 7, 1964.The men's downhill was held on Patscherkofel , the other five events at Axamer Lizum....
at Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, despite being ill with the flu. He won no medals in 1968
Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Grenoble, France. The six events were held at Chamrousse from February 9–17, 1968.Jean-Claude Killy won all three men's events, repeating Toni Sailer's triple-gold of 1956...
at Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, where his first slalom run (in the thick fog) was the fastest and his second was interfered with, by a race official stepping on the course. Forced to repeat his second run, he finished first overall, only to be disqualified by a 3-2 jury decision, because a second race official later claimed he had missed a gate prior to his being interfered with by the other race official. As Killy had already won gold in the downhill and giant slalom, there was a great deal of controversy over the suspicion that partisan French officials were attempting unfairly to prevent Schranz from winning so that Killy would sweep all three races, duplicating Toni Sailer
Toni Sailer
Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer was an Austrian alpine ski racer, who is considered among the best the in the sport. He won three gold medals in alphine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics, becoming the only triple gold medalist from that Games and thus the most successful athlete in 1956...
's 1956
Alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics
At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the six alpine skiing events were held from Friday, January 27 to Friday, February 3, 1956.Toni Sailer of Austria won all three men's events to become the first alpine ski racer to win three gold medals in a single Olympics...
sweep. Schranz had better success at the world championships (then held every four years, like the Olympics): gold in the downhill and 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:...
in 1962
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962 were held in Chamonix, France between February 10–18, 1962.Chamonix hosted the event in 1937, and also the first Winter Olympics in 1924, but without alpine skiing.-External links:...
and gold in the giant slalom in 1970
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 were held in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy, from February 8-15, 1970.For the only time, results from the World Championships were included in the World Cup points standings, then in its fourth season.-External links:...
.
Had the World Cup begun a decade earlier, Schranz's outstanding achievements during his prime would be far better known. He would for instance rank behind only Klammer as the second best downhiller ever and would have been the overall world cup champion three (1966,69,70) or more times.
Schranz later became a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
owner in his hometown of St. Anton and played a key role in organizing the 2001 World Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2001
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2001 were held in St. Anton, Austria, between January 29 and February 10, 2001.-Medals table:...
.
Season titles
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1969 1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles... |
Overall |
| Downhill | |
| Giant Slalom Giant Slalom skiing Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G.... |
|
| 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title.... |
Overall |
| Downhill |
Individual races
| Season | Date | Location | Race |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles... |
December 12, 1968 |  Val-d'Isère, FranceFrance The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Giant Slalom Giant Slalom skiing Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G.... |
| January 11, 1969 |  WengenLauberhorn The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level.... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Downhill | |
| January 18, 1969 |  KitzbühelHahnenkamm, Kitzbühel The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Downhill | |
| February 1, 1969 | St. Anton, Austria |
Downhill | |
| March 15, 1969 |  Mont St. AnneMont-Sainte-Anne Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in the city of Beaupré, Quebec, Canada, located about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain has a summit elevation of 800 metres above sea level and a vertical drop of 625 m . There are 66 trails covering on three different sides of the mountain... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Giant Slalom | |
| 1970 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup The fourth World Cup season began in December 1969 in France and concluded in March 1970 in Norway. Karl Schranz of Austria won his second consecutive overall title. Michèle Jacot of France won the women's overall title.... |
January 5, 1970 | Adelboden Adelboden Adelboden is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.-Geography:Adelboden lies in the west of the Berner Oberland, at the end of the valley of the Engstlige river, which flows in Frutigen into the Kander river.Adelboden is a... , Switzerland |
Giant Slalom |
| January 23, 1970 | Megève Megève Megève is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Megève is a famous ski resort near the Mont-Blanc in the French Alps... , France |
Downhill | |
| February 1, 1970 |  GarmischGarmisch Classic Garmisch Classic is an alpine ski resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. The resort is in the Bavarian Alps, and its maximum elevation is 6726 feet above sea level, with a vertical drop of 4429 feet... , West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... |
Downhill | |
| February 10, 1970 |  Val Gardena, ItalyItaly Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
Giant Slalom | |
| 1972 1972 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 6th World Cup season began in December 1971 in Switzerland and concluded in March 1972 in France. Gustav Thöni of Italy won his second of three consecutive overall titles... |
December 12, 1971 | Val-d'Isère, France |
Downhill |
| January 14, 1972 | Kitzbühel, Austria |
Downhill | |
| January 15, 1972 | Downhill |
External links
- FIS-ski.com - race results - Karl Schranz
- FIS-ski.com - World Cup season standings - Karl Schranz - 1967-72
- Ski-db.com - results - Karl Schranz
- Karl Schranz.com - - web site