Alpine World Ski Championships 1958

15th Alpine World Ski Championships
Place:	Bad Gastein ( Austria )
Start:	February 2, 1958
The End:	February 9, 1958
Athletes:	175
Competitions:	8th
winner
	Men's	Ladies
Departure	Toni Sailer	Lucille Wheeler
Giant slalom	Toni Sailer	Lucille Wheeler
slalom	Josef Rieder	Inger Bjørnbakken
Alpine combination	Toni Sailer	Frieda Danzer
← Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 Squaw Valley 1960 →

The 15th Alpine World Ski Championships took place from February 2 to 9, 1958 in Bad Gastein , Austria . The opening took place on the evening of February 1, 1958 on the festival square (the "Poserplatz") by the Austrian Minister of Education Heinrich Drimmel and the President of the FIS , Marc Hodler .

25 schoolchildren from Bad Gastein carried the signs with the names of the nations (they were therefore apostrophized as "Gasteiner Taferlbuben"). 175 athletes with almost 100 supervisors took part in the world championships.

Surcharge

At the 20th FIS Congress in Montreux on June 2, 1955, the implementation was transferred to Bad Gastein. There was a surprising majority of 39 votes out of 54, with the remaining 15 votes going to France with its candidate Chamonix . Germany withdrew its application for Garmisch-Partenkirchen when it became known that the World Championships will be held separately for Alpine and Nordic competitions.

The organizer location

Bad Gastein was (and is) Austria's largest health resort. In 1958, 6,000 beds for foreigners were reported at normal times.

organization

Former mathematics professor Friedl Wolfgang , himself a successful downhill skier in the 1920s, and at that time (1958) also chairman of the downhill and slalom committee of the FIS and a personality who had been involved in the development of alpine ski racing from the very beginning, was available to the Bad Gastein organizers as a «directeur sportif». He counted not only in organizational terms, but also in a purely technical-professional relationship with the greatest connoisseurs of alpine racing.
Perhaps never before had an Alpine World Ski Championships been conceived with such thoroughness and prepared with such an investment of time and money. The press service surpassed everything that has been presented in this regard at World, European Championships and Olympic Games in recent years. All measures had been reported in detail for months. The state, the armed forces (two companies were in constant use and a battalion was in reserve) and the police helped wherever possible. In 1958 alone, the organizer received government grants of almost 2 million schillings (the exchange rate at that time was about a little more than 8 schillings for a Swiss franc and 7 schillings for a German mark).
The preparations were completed on January 28th and 29th; a television tower was also built for the relay of Eurovision broadcasts.

The rush of visitors exceeded all expectations, the spectators arrive in special trains. The capacity of the lift up to the routes was no longer sufficient, many viewers had to walk from the valley station to the mountain, with 60,000 spectators officially reported for the men's descent alone.

Preparations

The Swedish downhill expert of the FIS, Bibbo Nordenskiöld , had the real downhill courses even better described in view of the hundreds of spectators crowding onto the training slopes by increasing the number of control gates to 17 for men and 26 for women.

Sporting events

"Pre-World Championship" 1957

On January 23, 1957 there was a dress rehearsal called the “pre-world championship” in the form of a downhill run, in which Carla Marchelli won ahead of Lucille Wheeler and Frieda Dänzer and Mathias Leitner ahead of Andreas Molterer and Toni Sailer .

More recent activities

On January 21st, several national teams started training at the venue, on January 26th as preparation (but due to the lack of several class runners, this giant slalom should only be regarded as "better training") in Saalfelden , with Josefine Frandl in front of the Italian Schenone and Anne Heggtveit and Toni Sailer took the first three places ahead of Roger Staub and Josef Rieder.

Ratings of the favorites

Women:
With the Swiss women , the hopes rested on the shoulders of Renée Colliard , who with her sensational comeback in Kitzbühel gave hope for a successful slalom title defense (as is well known, nothing came of it, because she then fell badly in the World Championship slalom). Thanks to her concentrated preparation, her ability and her routine, Frieda Dänzer was considered a co-favorite in all disciplines, whereby she should be among the first in giant slalom and downhill. Annemarie Waser , who had her 18th birthday in Bad Gastein, was named because she had asserted herself in Kitzbühel as a slalom and giant slalom specialist of international stature. Lilo Michel should also be at the forefront in these two disciplines.
The Austrians named Hilde Hofherr (Grindelwald winner), “Putzi” Josefine Frandl , the slalom specialist Lotte Blattl and also Thea Hochleitner .
The Italians suffered a severe blow from Carla Marchelli's injury; even if she could start again, her forced break should make itself felt. Vera Schenone had called herself to mind in Saalfelden.
Of the French women , Thérèse Leduc and Danièle Télinge should be good for top performances. The Americans ( Sally Deaver , Nonie Foley , Mady Springer-Miller, and Betsy Snite ), who had constantly improved, were cited as a promising quartet. The Canadians Lucile Wheeler (especially in the downhill) and Anne Heggtveit were among the closest favorites .
Only Sonja Sperl was given good ranks by the heavily relegated German team . Among the Norwegians, Berit Stuve , Astrid Sandvik and Marit Haraldssen were mentioned because of their sensational performances in Kitzbühel, while the final slalom world champion Inger Björnbakken was not mentioned.
The representatives of the eastern states were given a chance to sit.
Specifically, the competitions currently held in January 1958 (“SDS races” from Grindelwald, Kitzbühel) brought top places and victories for the ÖSV by Josefine Frandl, Hilde Hofherr and Thea Hochleitner, the other victories and top three placings were on Frieda Dänzer, Carla Marchelli, Annemarie Waser, Renée Colliard, Berit Stuve, Thérèse Leduc and Astrid Sandvik left.

Men:
The main favorites were the Austrians, albeit on 5./6. January in Adelboden with the successes of Charles Bozon (ahead of Ernst Hinterseer and Georges Schneider in the slalom) and Roger Staub (ahead of Mathias Leitner and Bozon in the giant slalom) no Austrian victories were recorded. On the Lauberhorn, however, there had been victories again with Toni Sailer in the downhill and Josef Rieder in the slalom (although the combination success went to Wallace Werner ). There was even more of an oppressive Austrian superiority on the Hahnenkamm with double victories. In the Swiss team, accompanied by Vital Renggli as head of the delegation, Roger Staub was named "the strongest weapon in the fight against the world class" because, in addition to his previous strengths, he had astounded with his progress in slalom in the winter so far. The routine and reliability of ex-world champion Georges Schneider gave him a firm place in slalom, as well as in the downhill for Willy Forrer because of his excellent results in Wengen and Megève.
With the French, Charles Bozon and Guy Périllat had shown an increase in form, Adrien Duvillard's class was always good for a medal, while Bonlieu had left a lot to be desired.
The experts also highlighted “Bud” Wallace Werner (a US Army corporal), the Japanese student Chiharu Igaya (after all, slalom silver in the 1956 Olympics) and the Italian Bruno Alberti (he had recommended himself as an excellent downhill racer this winter). On the part of the DSV , Benedikt Obermüller was named as a slalom veteran, while there was a question mark regarding Fritz Wagnerberger , who was injured in Kitzbühel.
For the competitors from the other nations (Norway, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, etc.) it was predicted that they would be able to benefit from the limited number of participants in that they could advance under the top teeth in the combination, but would hardly be eligible for medals.

Further comments on the chances of success of the DSV

These were rather low: well had Marianne Strange on March 27, the 1957 slalom, Hannelore Basler then one day the giant slalom as part of the "Grand Prix of Madrid" in Navacerrada won, there was Hans-Peter Lanig in the Giant Slalom Second become, but were this was the race at the end of the season.

FIS ratings before the World Championships

Shortly before the start of the World Championships, the FIS fixed Sailer in the downhill and giant slalom as well as Molterer in the slalom and Marchelli as the best downhill runner and Colliard as the best slalom runner.

Other rankings

In a rating drawn up by the »Arbeiterzeitung Wien« at the end of the 1957 season, in which the winners each received 100 points, Carla Marchelli was the outstanding runner who was in front of every slalom (where she took 6th place) (in overall she had a lead of 10.8 points over second-placed Thea Hochleitner). In the men’s race, Rieder, who was the most even, surprisingly won, while Toni Sailer won the descent and Ernst Hinterseer won the slalom. There was no rating for the men in the giant slalom because only one race with all aces had been driven.

Injuries in training and in races

During training several runners suffered injuries after falling, which made it impossible for them to participate in the championships. On January 30th, Rupert Suter (born June 23rd, 1934, Stoos) from Switzerland suffered a broken shin. Prior to that, the Soviet runner Talianow and Lennart Foytmeier, the best of the Swedish team, were out with a knee injury; The Swiss Association nominated Fredy Brupbacher for Suter . On February 1, the French runner Thèrèse Leduc broke her right lower leg; During the World Cup, Swiss co-favorite Renée Colliard was overtaken by fate on February 3rd in the slalom (ligament strain in the left ankle and collateral ligament strain in the left knee joint). In the men's giant slalom, the Frenchman Charles Bozon, who started the race with start number 13, fell on the steep final slope. An injury to his spine was found and he was flown to the UKH Salzburg by helicopter.

Limitation of the number of participants

Only six participants (of each gender) were allowed to be registered per country, of which four could be used in each discipline.

Opening, awards ceremony, closing ceremony

The opening on February 1st and the closing ceremony on February 9th was set at 8.30 p.m. The award ceremonies also took place at 8.30 p.m. (with the exception of those for the women's giant slalom and the men's downhill run, which started at 8 p.m. on February 9th). For both slaloms it was on February 4th, for the men's giant slalom and the women's downhill it was on February 6th. The Austrian Federal President Adolf Schärf also came to the closing ceremony. FIS President Mark Hodler gave the closing speech and praised the Badgastein community and all those responsible for the excellently organized and well-supervised event.

Sporty reviews

«Sport Zürich» review full of praise

The article designed for this in No. 17 of February 10, 1958, pages 1 and 2, already began with the heading "The most grandiose Alpine World Championships in the history of the FIS". With regard to the organization, the preparation of the routes, the security measures, medical services and the huge news organization were emphasized.

In the sporting sector, the men's downhill race in particular overshadowed everything that had gone before, including the 1956 Olympics. The alpine ski martial arts have reached an optimal level. The women's giant slalom was also unsurpassable. Up until now there had been three or four female drivers who had balanced their performance in the fight for the title, but in Bad Gastein you saw a dozen women from Europe and America who drove beautifully, quickly and safely. There were also narrower results (except for the men's giant slalom) in the gold decisions. The dominance of the Austrian men over Cortina has decreased, but this was also due to the start restriction. The hosts could not be satisfied with the performance of the ÖSV women. The overall Swiss success with seven medals and two fourth places is impressive. The biggest surprise was definitely Inger Bjørnbakken with her slalom victory, even Lucille Wheeler's two gold medals (plus combination silver) would have been sensational. These results achieved by the non-alpine drivers are one of the most interesting results from Bad Gastein. “Bud” Werner was unlucky, who (after two competitions in the combination was fourth) fell in the last goal of the downhill.

Martin Maier wrote in the "Arbeiterzeitung Wien" on February 11, 1958 (page 12, column 4 - in the second paragraph after the heading "Holmenkollen and Badgastein") that "this was not only due to the lack of it Level of Austrian women’s skiing ”, but“ poor support, incorrect constellations, caused by power struggles between feuding groups, which contributed to this debacle from the unfavorable influence of ski manufacturer circles ”.

A note on Bjørnbakken and Wheeler's victories

The victory of Inger Bjørnbakken in the slalom was a relative surprise, because the Norwegian had already on 15 March 1957 at the "International Ski Championships the USA" in Stowe ranks number 2 and later those at the "Harriman Cup" in the same week Sun Valley won . Lucille Wheeler had already achieved top positions in the last two years when she was on the 14th and 15th. January 1956 finished second in the Hahnenkamm downhill and combination and the year later (January 19/20, 1957) had won both the downhill and the combination (and was second here in Badgastein the previous year).

Men

Departure

space	country	athlete	time
1	AUT	Toni Sailer	2: 28.5 min
2	SUI	Roger dust	2: 30.4 min
3	FRA	Jean Vuarnet	2: 32.3 min
4th	SUI	Willi Forrer	2: 32.7 min
5	FRA	Adrien Duvillard	2: 33.5 min
	AUT	Mathias Leitner	2: 33.5 min
	AUT	Andreas Molterer	2: 33.5 min

World Champion 1956: Toni Sailer (AUT)
Date : February 9, 1958, 1.30 p.m.
Slope: "Graukogel"
Length: 3520 m, difference in altitude: 915 m
Gates: 17

There were 65 runners at the start, 60 of them finished.
The most important and decisive points were the “Schneise Himmelreich” above 1,720 m, the curves at “Gruberschlag”, the “Steintobel” with a subsequent long, very fast left-hand bend, the “Schachten”, the outlet onto the “Heimalp” (1,290 m) and the last control gate (many drivers risked a 20 m jump here).
Forerunners were the two Austrians Egon Zimmermann (known as Zimmermann I) and Toni Mark .
The starting numbers of the first six: 03 Sailer, 12 Staub, 05 Vuarnet, 01 Forrer, ex aequo 14 Duvillard & 07 M. Leitner & 04 Molterer.
The other most important placed or best of their countries (some with start number in brackets): 8. ex aequo (09) Josef Rieder (AUT) & (10) Françoise Bonlieu & (13) Guy Périllat (both FRA) 2: 33.9; 11. (11) Roland Bläsi (SUI) 2: 34.8; 12. (02) Bruno Milianti (ITA) 2: 36.2; 13. (15) Bruno Alberti (ITA) 2: 37.0; 14. Ludwig Leitner (FRG) 2: 37.9; 15. (31) Chiharu Igaya (JAP) 2: 38.3; 17. Fredy Brupbacher (SUI) 2: 39.7; 18. Gino Burrini (ITA) 2: 40.0; 20. (20) Benedikt Obermüller (FRG) 2: 41.1; 21. Asle Sjåstad (NOR) 2: 41.8; 22. Georgi Dimitroff (BUL) 2: 42.1: 23. Henrich Kurz (ĊSR) 2: 42.3; 25. Wlodzimierz Czarniak (POL) 2: 43.2; 26. Bruno Burrini (ITA) 2: 43.5; 27. ex aequo Eberhard Riedel (GDR) & John Platt (CAN) 2: 44.8; 29. Karl Suss (GDR) 2: 45.3; 30. Werner Lützdorf (GDR) 2: 45.9; 31. John Semmelink (CAN) 2: 46.3; 32. Alexandr Filatov (URS) 2: 47.0; 34. Ernst Scherzer (GDR) 2: 47.7; 37. (08) Wallace Werner (USA) 2: 48.7; 41. Rolf Olsson (SWE) 2: 50.6; 42. Kalevi Hakkinen (FIN) 2: 53.3; 46. ​​(24) Tom Cororan (USA) 2: 54.1; 48. Janko Stefe (JUG) 2: 57.6; 51. Hermann Kindle (LIE) 3: 06.4; 53. Juan Barriga (SPA) 3: 16.3; 54. Osvaldo Ancinas (ARG) 3: 17.0; 58. Esmahil Savogy (IRA) 3: 35.1; 60th and final Ovanes Megerdoun (IRA) 5: 39.0.
(06) Fritz Wagnerberger (FRG) fell before the middle station and had to end the race.
During Toni Sailer's drive, the experts weren't entirely sure whether he, who had been reported with a great new interim fastest time, would cross the finish line with all the risk he had taken, because he always fell during training. Although Sailer had already ridden with No. 3, he could already be seen as the winner due to his 4.2 second lead over Forrer. Wallace "Bud" Werner (USA), who was stopped at 1: 33.5 in the meantime, was only 0.7 seconds slower than Sailer, and after a fall (he slid 50 m to the valley) he skied through it Goal and thus came into the evaluation.
With Roger Staub, who drove in twelfth place, the Swiss had a pleasant surprise. He was only three-tenths behind Sailer in the meantime; his end time (which brought him silver) was also good enough to get the bronze medal in the combination. The Aroser had never driven a better race in a descent. Like Sailer, he had a (serious) fall during training and had just overcame one of the frequent flu attacks in Badgastein.
After the first 15 riders, the level of performance dropped noticeably, and the end times approached 2:40 minutes. Corcoran fell terribly, but made it to the finish.
Sailer explained his success with the fact that in addition to body control and the certain feeling for the shortest path, he would also think ahead, he would always be at the next goal, at the next wave.

Giant slalom

space	country	athlete	time
1	AUT	Toni Sailer	1: 48.8 min
2	AUT	Josef Rieder	1: 52.6 min
3	FRA	François Bonlieu	1: 53.9 min
	SUI	Roger dust	1: 53.9 min
5	United States	Wallace Werner	1: 54.5 min
6th	AUT	Andreas Molterer	1: 55.3 min
	JPN	Chiharu Igaya	1: 55.3 min

World champion 1956: Toni Sailer (AUT)
Date : February 5, 1958, 1.30 p.m.
Length: 2400 m, difference in altitude: 602 m
Goals: 36.
According to the police, the number of spectators is said to have been 55,000, but "only" 20,000 to 25,000, which was also extremely impressive for a race during the week.
There were 77 runners at the start, 63 of them finished.
The starting numbers of the first six: 03 Sailer, 04 Rieder, ex aequo 06 Bonlieu & 15 Staub, 11 Werner, ex aequo 13 Molterer & 12 Igaya.
The other important places and best of their nations: 8th Adrien Duvillard (FRA) 1: 55.5; 9. Egon Zimmermann I (AUT) 1: 55.8; 10. Paride Milianti (ITA) 1: 56.2; 11. ex aequo Guy Perillat (FRA) & Fritz Wagnerberger (FRG) 1: 57.3; 13. Roland Bläsi (SUI) 1: 58.3; 14. Benedikt Obermüller (FRG) 1: 58.8; 15. Tom Corcoran (USA) 1: 58.9; 16. Fredy Brupbacher (SUI) 1: 59.0; 17. Georgi Dimitrov (BUL) 2: 01.7; 18. Bruno Alberti (ITA) 2: 01.8; 19. Gino Burrini (ITA) 2: 02.7; 21. Willy Forrer (SUI) 2: 02.9; 22. Jaroslav Bogdalek (ČSR) 2: 03.5; 23. Karl Suss (GDR) 2: 04.0; 25. Włodzimierz Czarniak (POL) 2: 04.3; 26. Ludwig Leitner (FRG) 2: 05.2; 27. Eystein Thordarsson (ISL) 2: 05.5; 28. Bengt Blanck (SWE) 2: 06.0; 30. Alexandr Filatov (URS) 2: 07.4; 32. Sigurd Rokne (NOR) 2: 07.5; 33. William Stevens (CAN) 2: 07.6; 36. Ulf Ekstam (FIN) 2: 08.2; 37. Roberto Siorpaes (ITA) 2: 09.2; 40. Ernst Scherzer (GDR) 2: 10.5; 44. Rene Farwig (BOL) 2: 12.4; 46. Janko Stefe (YUG) 2: 15.4; 48. Werner Lützendorf (GDR) 2: 16.8; 53. John Semmellink (CAN) 2: 25.3; 54. Vincente Ojeda (ARG); 55. Hermann Kindel (LIE) 2: 31.3; 58. Luis Sánchez (SPA) 2: 53.3; 62. Reza Bazargan (IRA); 63rd and last Felipe Rigat (SPA) 2: 44.9
Serious fall of No. 13 Charles Bozon (FRA), in which he sustained an injury to the spine; he was flown to the UKH Salzburg by helicopter

According to «Sport Zürich» from February 7th on page 1 (title: «Toni Sailer, the“ ski king ”of Cortina, has put the crown back on”), Sailer was described as an athlete who, despite all the fuss about him, was humble stayed. His running style would not appear to be extremely fast, he just drives a lot "with his head", he is physically very agile and flexible and has the gift of "intuitively doing the right thing at the right moment", he is thorough in his preparations, do not leave anything to chance, would neither overestimate nor underestimate its possibilities without concessions to the gallery, do not take everything seriously or over-pedantically and show another decisive plus compared to its competitors, namely carefree and strong nerves. In the giant slalom, too, his specialty was to lose as little speed as possible when changing direction, while others pressed their edges firmly into the snow. Others would slip, he just shifts the weight, the running surfaces are almost always smooth.
A slalom and giant slalom ranking showed that the top six had remained nominally the same - and this half-dozen is currently clearly dominating the other participants.
From the point of view of the Swiss federation, of which only Roger Staub was represented in the first group and, with a bit of bad luck, had drawn the last start number (15), it was noticed that - unlike the other Swiss - he had no fast skis had, which was possibly due to the fact that these skis have been used quite often. The higher start numbers weren't a big disadvantage for the other SSV drivers, because it got colder later. After the bad surprise in the Olympic giant slalom, the result was satisfactory. Although Bläsi had lost a bit of time after he had been well in the race before, he, Brupbacher and Fritz Wagnerberger were the only ones in the second start group who stayed below the two-minute limit. Brubpacher was able to master a critical situation in the finish slope, because a flag shaved off by the starter in front of him, Sepp Behr , at gate number 53, which had already been Charles Bozon's undoing, could not be replaced in time, but he drove on with determination . Dust almost stumbled there, too, because he had got behind Bozon, and the marshals and other helpers had taken care of the Frenchman and only at the last moment placed a gate pole. Willy Forrer got off to a brilliant start, but had a rough ride with a few small handles in the snow.
François Bonlieu, four years ago still at school and already a medalist in Åre , fulfilled expectations with a new medal. «Bud» Werner again attracted attention because of his bravado, which, however, had cost him the bronze medal, because he had an excellent time in spite of a dump. It was his peculiarity to take sticks under his arms between the gates. What I noticed about Igaya was that he worked vigorously with sticks. Molterer was repeatedly a victim of his combative temperament, he came to a standstill twice. The fourth Austrian, Egon Zimmermann (ski racer, 1933) , still feverish the day before, was no better. According to observers, Sailer didn't seem concentrated at all at the start and sometimes missed the ideal line for the time being before he caught up, which was also a problem with the times, because he was only fastest in the lower part of the course.
For the time being, the giant slalom was threatened by a sudden onset of the foehn, a snow temperature of even plus 2 degrees (!) Was measured, and then there was the bright, stinging sun. Another point of criticism was the Ovomaltine refreshment stand, which was set up on the wrong side, so that the exhausted drivers first had to get past the crowds, but the collisions were uneventful.

slalom

space	country	athlete	time
1	AUT	Josef Rieder	1: 55.1 min
2	AUT	Toni Sailer	1: 55.8 min
3	JPN	Chiharu Igaya	1: 56.7 min
4th	United States	Wallace Werner	1: 58.8 min
5	SUI	Roger dust	2: 01.9 min
6th	SUI	Adolf Mathis	2: 02.6 min

World Champion 1956: Toni Sailer (AUT)
Date : February 2, 1958, 10:30 am (1st run), 1:30 pm (2nd run)
Length: 562 m, difference in altitude: 202 m
Goals: 68 (1st run) / 69 (2nd run)
77 runners started, 48 of them crossed the finish line.
The starting numbers of the first six: 03 Rieder, 04 Sailer, 08 Igaya, 01 Werner, 12 Staub, 11 Mathis
The other important places (times in seconds): 7. Bernard Perren (SUI) 123.5; 8. Anderl Molterer (AUT) 124.1; 9. Ludwig Leitner (FRG) 125.2; 10. Sepp Behr (FRG) 128.9; 11. Fritz Wagnerberger (FRG) 129.7; 12. ex aequo Jan Torstensen (NOR) & Roland Bläsi (SUI) 129.9; 14. Georges Schneider (SUI) 130.1; 15. Benedikt Obermüller (FRG) 132.1
Fall No. 10 Ernst Hinterseer (AUT) in the 1st run, thus eliminated
After the first run Igaya led with 56.7 seconds; he was exactly a second ahead of Rieder; Sailer was 1.6 seconds behind.

From one hour before the start of the race, the court announcer gave the time every five minutes: 9:35 a.m., 9:40 a.m. ... so that the runners could orientate themselves not to be late at the start, but this constant memento created a mood as if something sinister was on the way.
Winner Rieder was a "surprise world champion", he was known as a fine technician and humble runner who never complained and looked for excuses even when he lost. In the winners' interviews he was rather evasive and sometimes answered embarrassed.
Molterer, always known as a daredevil, made a restrained ride in the first run, Sailer also didn't ride with the softness he was used to, but his instinct helped him to the third best time. At Hinterseer, both skis jammed in the upper third at the same time and he went off course. In the second run, too, Molterer drove without feeling for limit values, while Sailer seemed more relaxed. Igaya couldn't find the rhythm, hit two gates wrong.
Igaya was a lightweight, his big chance was in the slalom - and he had admitted in an interview given later with Martin Maier, who wrote glosses for "Sport Zürich" in addition to the "Arbeiterzeitung Wien", because of his lead with victory to have expected. He wished he could forget those hours between the first and second run, they were "the most foolish of his life".

combination

space	country	athlete	Points
1	AUT	Toni Sailer	0.36
2	AUT	Josef Rieder	6.36
3	SUI	Roger dust	8.63
4th	JPN	Chiharu Igaya	12.06
5	AUT	Andreas Molterer	12.57
6th	SUI	Roland Bläsi	18.93

World Champion 1956: Toni Sailer (AUT)
77 runners were at the start, 23 of them classified. The positions were determined according to a point system from the results of the downhill, giant slalom and slalom.
The other important ranked and best of their countries: 7th Wallace Werner (USA) 19:28; 8. Ludwig Leitner (FRG) 23.77; 9. Benedikt Obermüller (FRG) 24.49; 10. Bruno Alberti (ITA) 24.84; 11. Asle Sjaastad (NOR) 27.81; 12. Jaroslav Bogdalek (ČSR) 31.16; 13. Alexandr Filatov (URS) 38.64; 14. Masoru Sonobe (JAP) 38.95; 15. John Platt (CAN) 41.37; 16. Tom Corcoran (USA) 45.57; 18. Ernst Scherzer (GDR) 53.43; 20. Kalevi Hakkinen (FIN) 57.82; 21. Janko Stefe (YUG) 61.69; 22. Francisco Rigat (SPA) 120.85; 23rd and last Ovanes Megerdoun (IRA) 194,424.

The interest before the final descent was also in the combination, which was still highly valued at that time, in which Sailer with 0.36 points ahead of Rieder (2.00), Igaya (5.79), Werner (6.27), Staub ( 7.41), Molterer (9.62), Wagnerberger (14.04), Bläsi (14.60), Obermüller (16.48) and Ludwig Leitner (17.75).
In the decision, the American Bud Werner awarded not only a possible special, but most likely also a combination medal due to his fall in the descent, which threw him back to 37th place (around 20 seconds behind the winning time). Igaya showed a good downhill performance according to his circumstances (about 10 seconds lost to the winner), with which he took an honorable fourth place.

Women

Departure

space	country	athlete	time
1	CAN	Lucille Wheeler	2: 12.1 min
2	SUI	Frieda Danzer	2: 12.4 min
3	ITA	Carla Marchelli	2: 12.5 min
4th	ITA	Pia Riva	2: 14.6 min
5	AUT	Josefa Frandl	2: 15.7 min
6th	NOR	Astrid Sandvik	2: 16.0 min

World Champion 1956: Madeleine Berthod (SUI)
Date : February 6, 1958, 11:00 am
Slope: "Graukogel"
Length: 2400 m, difference in altitude: 590 m
Gates: 27

There were 40 runners at the start, all of them finished.
The start numbers of the first 5: 10 Wheeler, 02 Dänzer, 11 Marchelli, 26 Riva, 15 Frandl
The other important places (some with start numbers in brackets): 7. (06) Anne Heggtveit (CAN) 2: 16.3; 8. Hannelore Basler (FRG) 2: 16.5; 9. Anneliese Meggl (FRG) 2: 17.1; 10. Penny Pitou (USA) 2: 17.3; 11. (04) Suzanne Thiollière-Guirand (FRA) 2: 17.5; 12. ex aequo Berit Stuve & Marit Haraldsen (both NOR) 2: 17.9; 15. Lotte Blattl (AUT) 2: 18.0; 20. ex aequo (25) Edith Bonlieu (FRA) & (14) Thea Hochleitner (AUT) 2: 19.3; 33. (30) Annemarie Waser (SUI) 2: 29.2; 39. (13) Hilde Hofherr (AUT) 2: 45.9 (penultimate!).

On the part of the Swiss, the starting number draw had brought an unpleasant surprise, because only Dänzer had received a place in the top 15 with No. 2, while Wasers No. 30, given the third place in the Hahnenkamm Combined and now here in the World Championship Slalom, hardly could be understood. It was understandable that Margit Gertsch (No. 17) and Margit Looser (No. 29) had not been given such consideration.
The start took place at 1,657 m at the exit point of the second station of the Graukogel lift, specially constructed for this descent, in the middle of a cleared forest aisle. The upper part of the route resembled a fast natural giant slalom and made high demands both technically and tactically with regard to the choice of route; after the steep slope (four hairpin bends were used to reduce speed) the route ran parallel to that of the men's descent; no goals had been set on the last steep slope. The goal on the Schmelzwiese was identical to that of the women's slalom and men's giant slalom.
The runway was in excellent condition, only high up, where it had been under the influence of the sun the previous day, it had some rougher spots.
With regard to the favorites, Frieda Dänzer was mentioned most often, along with Hofherr, Hochleitner, Frandl, Suzanne Thiollière, Vera Schenone (she opened the race), Marchelli, Wheeler and some Norwegians.
Characteristic were the exceptionally small time differences, which was explained by the fact that the route was not too difficult and therefore not very classified. There was almost a sensation just before the end of the race, because with No. 40 the 19-year-old Jerta Schir (ITA) was with the best intermediate time (67.4 seconds - in comparison, Wheeler had 68.4 seconds, Dänzer 69, 0 sec. And Marchelli 67.7 sec.) And she raced with undiminished speed into the finish slope, where she fell in one of the last goals - her end time of approx. 2:23 minutes indicated that the Surprise would otherwise have been perfect.
None of the Austrians stayed under 2:15 minutes, and Hofherr also missed all combination chances with two falls on the finish slope. Annemarie Waser also had bad luck, who had lost a stick whose end time (2: 29.2 min.) Also deprived her of any combination chances.

Giant slalom

space	country	athlete	time
1	CAN	Lucille Wheeler	1: 54.6 min
2	United States	Sally Deaver	1: 55.1 min
3	SUI	Frieda Danzer	1: 55.4 min
4th	SUI	Annemarie Waser	1: 55.5 min
5	FRA	Danièle Télinge	1: 55.6 min
6th	NOR	Berit Stuve	1: 56.4 min

World Champion 1956: Ossi Reichert (FRG) (career ended)
Date : February 8, 1958, 1.30 p.m.
Slope: "Hellbrunnenbüchl"
Length: 1650 m, difference in altitude: 407 m
Goals: 55 (course setter Toni Seelos )

There were 42 runners at the start, 36 of them finished.

Starting numbers of the first six: No. 4 Wheeler, No. 1 Deaver, No. 13 Dänzer, No. 2 Waser, No. 9 Télinge, No. 11 Stuve.
The other important places and best of their nations (some with the start number): 7. Pia Riva (ITA) 1: 56.6; 8. Jerta Schir (ITA) 1: 56.8; 9. No. 5 Thea Hochleitner (AUT) 1: 56.9; 10. Inger Bjornbakken (NOR) 1: 57.3; 11. ex aequo Ludmilla Richvalská (ČSSR) & (12) Putzi Frandl (AUT) 1: 58.3; 14. Arlette Grosso (FRA) 1: 59.0; 15. Anne Heggtveit (CAN) 2: 00.0; 16. Sonja Sperl (FRG) 2: 02.3; 17. Astrid Sandvik (NOR) 2: 03.2; 18th: Lilo Michel (SUI) 2: 04.0; 19. Sue Holmes (GBR) 2: 05.1; 22. Slavisa Zupančič (YUG) 2: 08.4; 23. Margit Gertsch (SUI) 2: 09.9; 25. (31) Kathi Hörl (AUT) 2: 12.9; 26. Vera Schenone (ITA) 2: 13.1 (fall and a lot of time lost); 27. Yevgenia Sidorova (URS) 2: 14.0; 28. Hannelore Basler (FRG) 2: 14.5; 29. Ingeborg Knott (FRG) 2: 19.9; 30. Linda Meyers (USA) 2:21.5; 31. Anna Kubic (POL) 2: 22.6; 33. Anneliese Meggl (FRG) 2: 33.2; 34. Marian Navarro (SPA) 2: 41.3; Task: Suzanne Thollière-Guirand (FRA), Carla Marchelli (ITA), Hilde Hofherr (AUT), Edith Bonlieu (FRA). - Note: Kathi Hörl started for the Austrians instead of Lotte Blattl , who was drawn with no. 10 .

As the last women's competition, the race was also the focus of the combination, which is why the newspaper reports linked both decisions. Frieda Dänzer, who started with a sprained ankle, chose a different line in a rather tricky order of goals, which she won a few tenths of a second through the Swiss coach Ernst Anderegg, who took care of her in view of the possible combination gold medal , but could also take the momentum for the next traverse with me. After the race, she admitted that she was struggling to get through the workload - she was "nervous as never before when the goal came in sight". Of the other SSV riders, Waser only missed the bronze medal by a tenth of a second, Lilo Michel looked a bit stiff and no longer achieved the form she had shown in Grindelwald . Margit Gertsch seemed to lack self-confidence, she slipped almost every goal - but she also had a (through no fault of her own) lack of training hours.
The result of the completely deranged ÖSV women, which was equivalent to a rejection, meant the end of the "old guard"; In order to be able to have a say in the Olympics in Squaw Valley in two years ' time, junior staff had to be trained, as the Italians had done in an exemplary manner.
In the specific course of the race, Putzi Frandl and others had to bury their hopes for a medal: Thiollière-Guirand drove over and over and retired after the first big steep slope. Carla Marchelli, whose injury had made itself felt in the many goals, actually fell from a drowsiness just before the finish, in which she injured herself again. In return, Pia Riva and Jerta Schir confirmed the good overall result of the Italians from the downhill. Anne Heggtveit had also aspirated with a chance of bronze, she got out of control in the lower part, while Astrid Sandvik fell behind on the steep slope because she had to climb back.

slalom

space	country	athlete	Points
1	NOR	Inger Bjørnbakken	1: 45.6 min
2	AUT	Josefa Frandl	1: 47.0 min
3	SUI	Annemarie Waser	1: 47.4 min
4th	NOR	Astrid Sandvik	1: 48.9 min
5	FRA	Suzanne Thiollière-Guirand	1: 49.3 min
6th	AUT	Hilde Hofherr	1: 49.8 min

World Champion 1956: Renée Colliard (SUI)
Date : February 3, 1958, 10:00 (1st run), 13:00 (2nd run)
Difference in altitude: 175 m
Goals: 48 each - Course setter Ernst Oberaigner (AUT) (1st run) . Run) and Kjeld Borge Andersen (NOR) (2nd run)
At the start were 41 runners, 34 of them finished.
The audience was estimated at 4,000 to 5,000. There had been a slight increase in temperature towards the second run.
The first 3 runners also set the best, second-best and third-best times in both rounds, with the winner Bjørnbakken gaining her lead in the first run (1.3 seconds faster than Frandl) in 53.9 seconds, while the Runtimes (51.7; 51.8; 51.9) were close together. - Waser had 55.5 seconds after the first run, she was thus ex aequo with Susanne Thiollière in 3rd place, also Dänzer and Astrid Sandvik in 55.6 each had an ex-aequo placement in 5th place, the same applied to 7th place Berit Stuve and Colliard with 55.8; it was followed by Heggtveit (56.2), Hofherr (56.4), Siderowa (56.7); Hannelore Basler was on rank 13 (57.0), Lilo Michel on rank 16 (58.0) and Liesi Mittermayer on rank 20 (58.6). - In the second run Sandvik was fourth (53.3) ahead of Hofherr (53.4), Michel and Stuve drove the 8th best time (54.4), Dänzer in 55.3 was fourteenth.
The starting numbers and the running times of the first six: 12 Bjørnbakken 53.9 / 51.7; 03 Frandl 55.2 / 51.8; 13 water 55.5 / 51.9; Sandvik 55.6 / 53.3; Thiollière-Guirand 55.5 / 53.8; 02 Hofherr 56.4 / 53.4
The other important places and best of their countries: (with some start numbers in brackets; times in seconds): 7th (07) Berit Stuve (NOR) 110.2 (55, 8 / 54.4); 8. ex aequo (01) Frieda Dänzer (SUI) (55.6 / 55.2) & Anne Heggtveit (CAN) (56.2 / 54.6) 110.8; 10. Danièle Telinge (FRA) 111.2 (56.9 / 54.3 (; 11. (15) Lilo Michel (SUI) 112.4 (58.0 / 54.4)); 12. Yevgenia Sidorova (SOV) 112.9 (56.7 / 56.2); 13th Jole Poloni (ITA) 113.0; 14th (11) Lucille Wheeler (CAN) 113.1; 15th Linda Meyers (USA) 113.7; 16 . Barbara Grocholska (POL) 114.2; 18 (14) Liesl Mittermayer (AUT) 114.4 58.6 / 55.8); 19. Sally Deaver (USA) 115.0; 20 Slavisa Zupančič (YUG) 115.9; 21. Jerta Schir (ITA) 116.9; 23. Carla Marchelli (ITA) 119.0; 24. Anneliese Meggl (FRG) 119.1; 25. Betsy Snite (USA) 119.3; 28. Inge Knott (FRG) 120.2; 29. Sonja Sperl (FRG) 121.0; 30. (04) Lotte Blattl (AUT) 131.5; 34. and last Sue Holmes (GBR) 137.9
Fall and injury from No. 8 Renée Colliard (SUI), who was thus canceled for the other races - she would have achieved around 51 to 52 seconds, measured by the intermediate times, but in the eighth goal she could no longer pull her valley ski inward properly, touching a goal post , got stuck with the ski tip in the snow and then fell, body first, down the fall line.

From a Swiss point of view, it was noted that Annemarie Waser, who had just turned 18, would be a slalom skier of the future, in the second run, which invited to attack, she showed no nervous strain and drove at full speed. Frieda Dänzer put herself in a good starting position for the combination, and since she did not want to risk these chances and her stronger disciplines were still ahead, she risked less. Lilo Michel made a good figure, even though she was able to get involved in the battle for the medals.
The overall impression was that there are not as immense class differences in women's slalom as there are in men. Even drivers with the highest starting numbers showed excellent performances and amazing times. Jerta Schir drove 58.2 seconds with the last start number in the first run, which was also due to the fact that it had gotten colder during the race. The performance of Susanne Thiollière, who could no longer be called a "bunny", was astonishing, while Carla Marchelli did not seem to be in full possession of her powers and therefore no longer eligible for the combined ranking. The Pole Grocholska showed the most beautiful style (closest ski guide), only with that she “died in beauty”.
It was not that surprising for the experts that a Norwegian had become world champion, because it was well known that Norway has excellent slalom runners - it was surprising that three Norwegians were classified in the first seven places. The finish slope of this slalom was described as one of the steepest, whereby the two course setter succeeded in setting the 48 gates in such a way that the course was very suitable for a ladies' race. The runs were smooth, round and rhythmic, although the course set by Oberaigner seemed a bit too easy for a world championship. This was proven by the fact that with him the first 23 in the classification stayed under a minute, there was not a sharper selection. Frandl, as the third starter in the second run (although the start number 66 was reassigned because she had forgotten the original number in the hotel), the best time of 53.4 seconds for her comrade Hofherr, who started before her, reduced to 51.8 seconds which made the question of the world champion seem open again. But Bjørnbakken was unbeatable that Monday afternoon.
In a consideration of the Norwegian success it was found that after Borghild Niskins departure a new, rejuvenated team had been built. In 1956 Astrid Sandvik's slalom and combination success on Hahnenkamm had already caused a sensation. Although little was achieved at the 1956 Olympics (apart from Bjørnbakken's sixth slalom rank), the team did not appear in Central Europe in 1956/57 (only Bjørnbakken in the USA) - and this winter the lack of snow meant that the four in Girls living in Oslo traveled to Norefjell, where they practiced slalom on ice slopes. The team, which surprisingly has no coach, traveled to Central Europe around the New Year. While in Grindelwald, as expected, little had been seen, in Kitzbühel the first surprise came with Berti Stuve's combination victory (2nd place in slalom; Bjørnbakken on 5th place), Sandvik was fifth on the downhill. The winner believed that it was not a disadvantage to come to Grindelwald practically untrained - because Bad Gastein came at just the right time. She called her victory “luck; she never believed in the possibility of victory; if Norway, then Sandvik, because she has never been able to beat her team-mate, she always won her championship title in Sandvik's absence. Only with the best time after the first run did she begin to hope, but didn't think too much. "

combination

space	country	athlete	Points
1	SUI	Frieda Danzer	3.80
2	CAN	Lucille Wheeler	4.33
3	AUT	Josefa Frandl	6.12
4th	NOR	Berit Stuve	8.14
5	FRA	Danièle Télinge	8.70
6th	CAN	Anne Heggtveit	9.99

World champion 1956: Madeleine Berthod (SUI)
41 runners were at the start, 21 of them classified. The positions were determined according to a point system from the results of the downhill, giant slalom and slalom.
The other placed and best of their nations:
7. Astrid Sandvik (NOR) 11.24; 8. Sally Deaver (USA) 12.24; 9. Annemarie Waser (SUI) 13.94; 10. Jerta Schir (ITA) 16.38; 11. Sonja Sperl (FRG) 23.86; 12. Yevgenia Sidorova (URS) 28.46; 13. Linda Meyers (USA) 29.36; 14. Slava Zupančič (JUG) 31.23; 15. Ingeborg Knott (FRG) 33.59; 16. Sue Holmes (GBR) 35.80; 18. Anneliese Meggl (FRG) 39.80; 19. Anna Kubic (POL) 40.27; 20. Ludmilla Richvalská (ČSR) 41.70; 21st and last Stalina Korsutschina (URS)?

The combination decision had come to a head before the giant slalom. Danzer led with 3.21 points, 0.18 ahead of Frandl and 4.33 ahead of Wheeler. Sandvik (4.89 back), Thiollière (6.00) and Heggtveit (6.01) were also considered.

Medal table

space	country	gold	silver	bronze	total
1	Austria	4th	4th	1	9
2	Canada	2	1	-	3
3	Switzerland	1	2	4th	7th
4th	Norway	1	-	-	1
5	United States	-	1	-	1
6th	France	-	-	2	2
7th	Italy	-	-	1	1
	Japan	-	-	1	1

Individual evidence

1. ↑ So close are triumph and defeat - column 3; Title “Leduc is also out of action” . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 2, 1958, p. 28 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
2. ↑ «The ski congress began» . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna June 2, 1955, p. 8 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
3. ^ "The World Ski Championships in Gastein" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna June 3, 1955, p. 8 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
4. ^ "Alpine Ski World Championships in Bad Gastein", "Sport Zurich"; No. 13 of January 31, 1958, pages 4 and 5.
5. ↑ Another Austrian ski triumph . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 24, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
6. ↑ The training in Gastein has started . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 22, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
7. ↑ Toni Sailer back to old strength? In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 28, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
8. ^ "Toni Sailer (Oe) and Renée Colliard (Switzerland) defend five of Cortina's eight world championship titles"; “Sport Zürich”, No. 13 of January 31, 1958, pages 4 and 5.
9. ↑ Leitner undefeated in France . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna March 28, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
10. ↑ column 1; Title: "In a few lines"; 3rd paragraph . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna March 29, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
11. ↑ Sailer, Rieder, Molterer, Hinterseer - Subtitle: How the Austrians dominated 1956/57 . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 31, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
12. ↑ A balance sheet without an example . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna March 22, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
13. ↑ Sailer, Rieder, Molterer, Hinterseer - Subtitle: The daily injury . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 31, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
14. ↑ Enough snow in Gastein . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 1, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
15. ↑ Josl Rieder and Inger Björnbakken world champions - column 4, penultimate paragraph . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 4, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
16. ↑ Colliard out of action? In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 4, 1958, p. 8 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
17. ↑ The second Austrian double success - subtitle: The last ten seconds . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 6, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
18. ↑ As always: Toni Sailer wins everything . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna March 19, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
19. ↑ A miracle of persistence . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna March 26, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
20. ↑ Toni Sailer wins the downhill race . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 15, 1956, p. 28 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
21. ↑ Favorite for Cortina: Toni Sailer . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 17, 1956, p. 8 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
22. ↑ Toni Sailer as good as in Cortina . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 20, 1957, p. 24 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
23. ↑ The victor who is not fit for a hero . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 22, 1957, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
24. ^ "Toni Sailer: Downhill winner before 50,000", "Sport Zürich", No. 17 of February 10, 1958, page 4.
25. ^ "Josl Rieder and Inger Björnbakken world champions" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 4, 1958, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
26. ↑ Gloss: "On the edge of the slopes" in columns 2 and 3 in "Sport Zurich" No. 16 of February 7, 1958; Page 3, with subtitle «Conversations with the beaten»
27. ↑ «Draw for the women's run»; “Sport Zürich” No. 15 of February 5, 1958, page 2, column 4
28. ^ "Silver medal for Frieda Dänzer in the downhill"; “Sport Zürich” No. 16 of February 7, 1958; page 4
29. ^ "Frieda Dänzer (Switzerland) Combination World Champion" and "Frieda Dänzer World Champion despite a sprained ankle"; “Sport Zürich” No. 17 of February 10, 1958; Pages 2 and 3
30. ↑ "The Norwegian Inger Björnbakken is surprising slalom world champion"; «Sport Zürich» No. 15 of February 5, 1958, pages and 2