Josef Walcher

Josef "Sepp" Walcher
 Alpine skier 

Walcher in December 1977
Disciplines Downhill
Born (1954-12-08)8 December 1954
Schladming, Styria, Austria
Died 22 January 1984(1984-01-22) (aged 29)
Schladming, Styria, Austria
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
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 – (19731982)
Wins 5 – (5 DH)
Podiums 13 – (13 DH)
Overall titles 0 – (7th in 1978)
Discipline titles 0 – (2nd DH: 1977, 1978)

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]

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.[7]

Walcher memorial
in Schladming

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

Season Date Location Discipline Place
197311 Feb 1973  Switzerland  St. Moritz, Switzerland Downhill 2nd
197418 Dec 1973 Austria Zell am See, Austria Downhill 3rd
19755 Jan 1975 West Germany Garmisch, West Germany Downhill 3rd
197625 Jan 1976 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 3rd
197718 Dec 1976 Italy Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 2nd
30 Jan 1977 France Morzine, France Downhill 2nd
31 Jan 1977 Downhill 1st
12 Mar 1977 United States Heavenly Valley, USA Downhill 1st
197811 Dec 1977 France Val d'Isère, France Downhill 3rd
20 Jan 1978 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 1st
21 Jan 1978   Downhill[8]1st
197916 Dec 1978 Italy Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 1st
198018 Jan 1980  Switzerland  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

  1. "Downhill gold for Walcher". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. January 30, 1978. p. 21.
  2. "Walcher winner". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 30, 1978. p. 15.
  3. "Josef Walcher surprise winner". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 1, 1977. p. 17.
  4. "Downhill star Klammer loses second race in row". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. February 1, 1978. p. 15.
  5. "Walcher triumphs". The Hour. Norwalk, CT. UPI. January 20, 1978. p. 21.
  6. "Klammer upset in downhill". Montreal Gazette. Reuters. January 21, 1978. p. 13.
  7. "Austrian ski star killed in accident". New York Times. UPI. January 23, 1984. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  8. Shared win with Josef Ferstl
  9. "For Stock, it was an uphill battle". St. Petersburg Independent. Associated Press. February 15, 1980. p. 5C.
  10. Mizell, Hubert (February 15, 1980). "Unknown Austrian skier Stock suddenly is hero". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C.
  11. Johnson, William Oscar (February 25, 1980). "Austria storms the hill". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
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