Josef Walcher
Josef "Sepp" Walcher (December 8, 1954 – January 22, 1984) was an Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer. He specialized in the downhill event and won the gold medal at the World Championships in 1978 at Garmisch, West Germany.[1][2]
Josef "Sepp" Walcher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Walcher in December 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 December 1954 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 22 January 1984 (aged 29) Schladming, Styria, Austria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Alpine skier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Skiing career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines | Downhill | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | December 1972 (age 18) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | March 1982 (age 27) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 – (1976, 1980) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 – (1976, 1978, 1980) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 10 – (1973–1982) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 5 – (5 DH) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 13 – (13 DH) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (7th in 1978) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – (2nd DH: 1977, 1978) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
in Schladming
Born in Schladming, Styria, Walcher made his World Cup debut in December 1972, two days after his 18th birthday. Two months later, he scored his first World Cup points (and podium) with a runner-up finish at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Walcher's first World Cup victory came in January 1977 at Morzine, France, his seventh podium.[3][4] His best two seasons were 1977 and 1978, finishing runner-up to compatriot Franz Klammer in the downhill standings both years. A week prior to his win at the world championships in 1978, Walcher won consecutive downhills at Kitzbühel, Austria.[5][6]
Walcher retired after the 1982 season with five World Cup victories and thirteen podium finishes. Two years later, he was killed at age 29 in a skiing accident in a benefit race in 1984 at his hometown of Schladming, the race was a 8 km downhill where the skiers started only 30 second one from the each other.[7]
World Cup results
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 18 | 28 | — | — | not run | 11 | not awarded |
| 1974 | 19 | 29 | — | — | 11 | ||
| 1975 | 20 | 23 | — | — | 12 | ||
| 1976 | 21 | 30 | — | — | 13 | — | |
| 1977 | 22 | 8 | — | — | 2 | not awarded | |
| 1978 | 23 | 7 | — | — | 2 | ||
| 1979 | 24 | 39 | — | — | 13 | ||
| 1980 | 25 | 22 | — | — | 7 | — | |
| 1981 | 26 | 41 | — | — | 14 | — | |
| 1982 | 27 | 50 | — | — | 18 | — |
Race podiums
- 5 wins – (5 DH)
- 13 podiums – (13 DH)
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 11 Feb 1973 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} St. Moritz, Switzerland | Downhill | 2nd |
| 1974 | 18 Dec 1973 |  Zell am See, Austria | Downhill | 3rd |
| 1975 | 5 Jan 1975 |  Garmisch, West Germany | Downhill | 3rd |
| 1976 | 25 Jan 1976 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 3rd |
| 1977 | 18 Dec 1976 |  Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill | 2nd |
| 30 Jan 1977 |  Morzine, France | Downhill | 2nd | |
| 31 Jan 1977 | Downhill | 1st | ||
| 12 Mar 1977 |  Heavenly Valley, USA | Downhill | 1st | |
| 1978 | 11 Dec 1977 | Val d'Isère, France | Downhill | 3rd |
| 20 Jan 1978 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 1st | |
| 21 Jan 1978 | Downhill[8] | 1st | ||
| 1979 | 16 Dec 1978 | Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill | 1st |
| 1980 | 18 Jan 1980 | Wengen, Switzerland | Downhill | 2nd |
World championship results
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 21 | — | — | not run | 9 | — |
| 1978 | 23 | — | 27 | 1 | — | |
| 1980 | 25 | — | — | — ^ | — |
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
Olympic results 
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 21 | — | — | not run | 9 | not run |
| 1980 | 25 | — | — | — ^ |
^ Walcher made the downhill team in 1980 but was dropped the day before the race, replaced by alternate Leonhard Stock, who won the gold medal.[9][10][11]
References
- "Downhill gold for Walcher". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. January 30, 1978. p. 21.
- "Walcher winner". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 30, 1978. p. 15.
- "Josef Walcher surprise winner". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 1, 1977. p. 17.
- "Downhill star Klammer loses second race in row". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. February 1, 1978. p. 15.
- "Walcher triumphs". The Hour. Norwalk, CT. UPI. January 20, 1978. p. 21.
- "Klammer upset in downhill". Montreal Gazette. Reuters. January 21, 1978. p. 13.
- "Austrian ski star killed in accident". New York Times. UPI. January 23, 1984. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- Shared win with Josef Ferstl
- "For Stock, it was an uphill battle". St. Petersburg Independent. Associated Press. February 15, 1980. p. 5C.
- Mizell, Hubert (February 15, 1980). "Unknown Austrian skier Stock suddenly is hero". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C.
- Johnson, William Oscar (February 25, 1980). "Austria storms the hill". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
External links
- Josef Walcher at FIS (alpine)
- Josef Walcher at Olympedia
- Josef Walcher at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- Josef Walcher at Find a Grave
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