Where to Ski And Snowboard - Austrian ski hero dies

Austrian ski hero dies

28th August 2009, by Chris Gill

Anton Sailer, the first athlete to win all three Alpine skiing events at a Winter Olympics has died.

According to the Austrian press, skiing champion Sailer (73) from Kitzbuhel died on Monday 24 August, following a long illness.

Toni Sailer became a national hero in 1956 after winning gold in the men’s downhill, giant slalom and combined races at the winter games in Cortina, Italy. He went on to win a silver medal in the slalom at the World Championships in Bad Gastein two years later. His speed and outstanding performance in these events produced the nickname ‘the black lightening bolt from Kitz”.

After his retirement Sailer served as the technical director of the Austrian Ski Federation for four years (1972-1976). In 1985 he was awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee, and in 1999 was honored as Austria’s sportsman of the century. News of his death has brought a flood of tributes from many of Austria’s great skiers, including 1976 Olympic gold medalist, Franz Klammer.