Josef Walcher

In today's world, Josef Walcher occupies a central place in society. Whether on a personal, professional or cultural level, Josef Walcher has a significant impact on our lives. Throughout history, Josef Walcher has been the subject of study, debate and controversy, which demonstrates its relevance in different areas. In this article, we will explore the role of Josef Walcher and its influence on various aspects of society. From its impact on politics to its involvement in technology, Josef Walcher plays a crucial role in the way we interact with the world around us. Additionally, we will examine how Josef Walcher has evolved over time and how it continues to be a topic of interest today.

For the Jesuit mathematician and engineer, see Joseph Walcher.
Josef "Sepp" Walcher
Walcher in December 1977
Personal information
Born(1954-12-08)8 December 1954
Schladming, Styria, Austria
Died22 January 1984(1984-01-22) (aged 29)
Schladming, Styria, Austria
OccupationAlpine skier
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill
World Cup debutDecember 1972 (age 18)
RetiredMarch 1982 (age 27)
Olympics
Teams2 – (1976, 1980)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams3 – (1976, 1978, 1980)
Medals1 (1 gold)
World Cup
Seasons10 – (1973–1982)
Wins5 – (5 DH)
Podiums13 – (13 DH)
Overall titles0 – (7th in 1978)
Discipline titles0 – (2nd DH: 1977, 1978)
Medal record
Men's alpine skiing
Representing  Austria
World Cup race podiums
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Downhill 5 4 4
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1978 Garmisch Downhill

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]

Biography

Sepp Walcher in action in 1978 Wengen downhill.
Walcher memorial
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. In 1984, he was killed at age 29 in a skiing accident at a benefit race in his hometown of Schladming. The race was a 8 km downhill where the skiers started only 30 seconds apart from each other. Walcher died after breaking his neck in a fall and hitting his head on a course marker. [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  Switzerland  St. Moritz, Switzerland Downhill 2nd
1974 18 Dec 1973 Austria Zell am See, Austria Downhill 3rd
1975 5 Jan 1975 West Germany Garmisch, West Germany Downhill 3rd
1976 25 Jan 1976 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 3rd
1977 18 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
1978 11 Dec 1977 France Val d'Isère, France Downhill 3rd
20 Jan 1978 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 1st
21 Jan 1978   Downhill[8] 1st
1979 16 Dec 1978 Italy Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 1st
1980 18 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. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010.
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