Alpine World Ski Championships 1974

23rd Alpine World Ski Championships
Place:	St. Moritz ( Switzerland )
Start:	3rd February 1974
The End:	February 10, 1974
Competitions:	8th
winner
	Men's	Ladies
Departure	David Zwilling	Annemarie Moser-Pröll
Giant slalom	Gustav Thöni	Fabienne Serrat
slalom	Gustav Thöni	Hanni Wenzel
Alpine combination	Franz Klammer	Fabienne Serrat
← Sapporo 1972 Innsbruck 1976 →

The 23rd Alpine World Ski Championships took place from February 3 to 10, 1974 in St. Moritz , Switzerland .

Choice of venue

At the 28th FIS Congress in May 1971 in Opatija (also known as Abbazia ), St. Moritz was nominated.

Of the reasons for the ultimately tight bid for St. Moritz, not a single one could be highlighted that tipped the balance. It was not insignificant that St. Moritz was the first of the aspirants to take part in the presentation on the evening of May 28th and the offer made by SSV Central President Karl Glatthard at the end of these lectures was tactically good, providing free board and lodging for the participants deliver. In addition, a multivision show with six slide projectors and audio tape was able to concisely highlight the special advantages and qualifications and the applications of the following candidates (although these were obviously mixed with regard to the Alpine and Nordic World Championships, because the further order was Lake Louise, Falun , Garmisch, Lahti and Jackson Hole) in the shade. Garmisch-Partenkirchen had shown an alpine hut in the hall of the Hotel Adriatic with beer serving as a field of vision . As far as the flow of votes was concerned, it was assumed that in the second round the USA and the British Commonwealth had not voted for the Swiss, and the Eastern Bloc had not voted for Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
In the first ballot, St. Moritz received 33, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 32, Lake Louise 9 and Jackson Hole 3 votes. In the second, St. Moritz accounted for 40, the further distribution was 33 and 4.

opening

The ceremony took place on February 2nd in front of 10,000 spectators. The Swiss Federal President Ernst Brugger praised the stormy development of skiing, but pointed out that economic interests and environmental protection problems clash. 111 women, 101 men took part in the world championships. Reinhard Tritscher was the standard bearer for Austria .

Worth mentioning

• The World Cup was threatened by the Sunday driving ban. The great concern of the organizers, for whom Gian-Franco Kasper was press spokesman, and who said that this would mean that the races would take place in camera, which could mean a financial catastrophe. The men's races on Sundays (slalom, downhill) would have been particularly affected, with 30,000 to 40,000 spectators expected.
• The program was changed due to heavy fog at the beginning of the World Championships. As the men were unable to train as a result, their departure was postponed from Sunday, February 3, by six days to Saturday, February 9 - on February 3, the women's giant slalom took place instead. However, the fact that the decision made on February 1st was taken before the team captains' meeting caused a displeasure. This move forward was unfavorable for the DSV women's team, as Christa Zechmeister cured a sore throat and Rosi Mittermaier had to ride with new shoes that she had not yet been able to get used to. Even the Swiss team leaders had to call their runners to St. Moritz
• The organizing country, Switzerland, experienced a bitter disappointment, as Lise-Marie Morerod , who was unknown at the time, was only able to win a bronze medal in the women's slalom . In the men's downhill in particular, the expectations were high, with 9th place the worst downhill result since the beginning of the World Championships in 1931 (up to now 8th place for Hanspeter Rohr in 1966 in Portillo ).
• Gustav Thöni and Fabienne Serrat were the most successful racers, each with two gold medals, although the Frenchwoman was only able to win her first World Cup victories in the 1973/74 season. Slalom gold from Hanni Wenzel , downhill gold from David Zwilling (plus slalom silver) and combination gold from Franz Klammer must be regarded as “surprises” . - On the other hand, with Roland Collombin in the downhill and Christa Zechmeister in the slalom, two four-time winners of the season were eliminated.
• From the outset, the French men's team had no chance after the elimination of its stars in December 1973, but Gérard Bonnevie was able to surprise in the slalom.

epilogue

Lt. A report in the “Kärntner Tageszeitung” No. 104 of May 7, 1974, page 22, the organizer incurred large debts, for which the capricious weather (postponement of the men's downhill run) was held responsible. Of the total budget of CHF 8.8 million. The state contributed 2.3 million as image advertising for Switzerland, 800,000 came from the canton of Graubünden, the rest had to be borne by the tourist association and the municipality of St. Moritz. But Gian-Franco Kasper, who was also a tourism expert and who in a few years' time was to take over the agendas of the spa director from his father, saw it a little differently: “The place has received a bypass and a new make-up. Because the medals went to Germany, Italy, Austria and the USA, St. Moritz has not only increased its value in these countries. There is no disappointment here in St. Moritz with the performance of our compatriots. "

Men

Departure

space	country	athlete	time
1	AUT	David Zwilling	1: 56.98 min
2	AUT	Franz Klammer	1: 58.01 min
3	LIE	Willi Frommelt	1: 58.16 min
4th	AUT	Karl Cordin	1: 58.25 min
5	ITA	Giuliano Besson	1: 58.43 min
6th	OUT	Manfred Grabler	1: 58.46 min
7th	ITA	Stefano Anzi	1: 58.48 min
8th	CAN	Dave Murray	1: 58.60 min
9	SUI	Walter Vesti	1: 58.61 min
-	-	-	-
11	FRG	Sepp Ferstl	1: 59.49 min
12	SUI	Philippe Roux	1: 59.56 min
13	SUI	Bernhard Russi	1: 59.84 min
21st	FRG	Michael Veith	2: 01.16 min
37	LIE	Herbert Marxer	2: 04.72 min
38	FRG	Wolfgang Junginger	2: 04.79 min

World Champion 1972: Bernhard Russi (SUI)
Date : February 9th, 12:00 noon
Slope: "Piz Nair"
Length: 3210 m, difference in altitude: 805 m
Goals: 26

There were 87 runners at the start, 78 of them reached the finish.

Retired u. a .: Roland Collombin (SUI), Werner Grissmann (AUT), Marcello Varallo (ITA), Peter Fischer (BRD)

Franz Vogler was not considered, although he belonged to the first starting group, i.e. that of the best in the world (Peter Fischer, Sepp Ferstl , Michael Veith and Wolfgang Junginger were nominated instead ). Sports manager Oskar Fischer justified this with the fact that the younger ones were faster in training and "earlier merits cannot be rewarded with a start at the World Cup".

Giant slalom

space	country	athlete	athlete
1	ITA	Gustav Thöni	3: 07.92 min
2	AUT	Hans Hinterseer	3: 08.84 min
3	ITA	Piero Gros	3: 08.91 min
4th	ITA	Helmuth Schmalzl	3: 10.37 min
5	SUI	Engelhard Pargätzi	3: 11.58 min
6th	ITA	Erwin Stricker	3: 11.59 min
7th	AUT	Josef Pechtl	3: 12.39 min
8th	FRG	Max Rieger	3: 12.51 min
-	-	-	-
10	AUT	Franz Klammer	3: 13.89 min
11	FRG	Sepp Heckelmiller	3: 13.91 min
12	FRG	Wolfgang Junginger	3: 14.79 min
19th	SUI	Walter Tresch	3: 19.32 min
26th	LIE	Herbert Marxer	3: 12.51 min
36	LIE	Andreas Wenzel	3: 31.36 min

World Champion 1972: Gustav Thöni (ITA)
Date : February 5th, 9:30 am (1st run), 1:00 pm (2nd run)
Slope: "Corvatsch"
Length: 1290 m, difference in altitude: 405 m
Goals: 65 (1st run), 66 (2nd run)

117 runners started, 68 of them reached the finish.

Retired u. a .: Edmund Bruggmann (SUI), Manfred Grabler (AUS), Willi Frommelt (LIE), Erik Håker (NOR), Bojan Križaj (YUG), Werner Mattle (SUI), Hans-Jörg Schlager (FRG), Stig Strand ( SWE), David Zwilling (AUT)

slalom

space	country	athlete	time
1	ITA	Gustav Thöni	1: 49.98 min
2	AUT	David Zwilling	1: 50.76 min
3	ESP	Francisco Fernández Ochoa	1: 51.56 min
4th	FRA	Gérard Bonnevie	1: 52.24 min
5	SUI	Walter Tresch	1: 52.63 min
6th	SWE	Gudmund Söderin	1: 54.88 min
7th	POLE	Andrzej Bachleda-Curuś	1: 55.66 min
8th	FRG	Wolfgang Junginger	1: 55.72 min
-	-	-	-
20th	AUT	Franz Klammer	1: 59.31 min

World Champion 1972: Francisco Fernández Ochoa (ESP)
Date : February 10, 9:00 a.m. (1st run), 12:00 noon (2nd run)
Length: 615 m, height difference: 225 m
Goals: 65 (1st run ), 66 (2nd run)

Initially, Hans Hinterseer (AUT) appeared on the bronze rank, but he was disqualified if a peat error was subsequently discovered

114 runners started, 42 of them reached the finish.

Retired u. a .: Willi Frommelt (LIE), Heini Hemmi (SUI), Piero Gros (ITA), Johann Kniewasser (AUT), Christian Neureuther (FRG), Fausto Radici (ITA), Max Rieger (FRG), Hans-Jörg Schlager ( FRG), Ingemar Stenmark (SWE) Disqualification: Hans Hinterseer (AUT)

combination

space	country	athlete	Points
1	AUT	Franz Klammer	67.88
2	POLE	Andrzej Bachleda-Curuś	78.35
3	FRG	Wolfgang Junginger	89.01
4th	TCH	Miloslav Sochor	127.07
5	FIN	Seppo Leppaniemi	151.84
6th	POLE	Maciej Gąsienica	156.38
7th	YUG	Dušan Gorišek	161.72
8th	POLE	Roman Dereziński	162.42

World Champion 1972: Gustav Thöni (ITA)
117 runners were at the start, 15 of them classified. The positions were determined according to a point system from the results of the downhill, giant slalom and slalom.

Women

Departure

space	country	sportswoman	time
1	AUT	Annemarie Moser-Pröll	1: 50.84 min
2	CAN	Betsy Clifford	1: 51.78 min
3	AUT	Wiltrud Drexel	1: 52.15 min
4th	AUT	Monika Kaserer	1: 52.40 min
5	SUI	Marie-Theres Nadig	1: 52.47 min
6th	ITA	Christina Tissot	1: 52.52 min
7th	CAN	Kathy Kreiner	1: 52.81 min
8th	NOR	Toril Førland	1: 53.07 min
-	-	-	-
11	SUI	Bernadette Zurbriggen	1: 53.49 min
13	LIE	Hanni Wenzel	1: 53.80 min
14th	FRG	Evi Mittermaier	1: 53.88 min
19th	SUI	Marianne Hefti	1: 55.95 min
26th	SUI	Rita Schnider	1: 57.26 min
33	LIE	Ursula Konzett	1: 59.45 min
37	LIE	Andrea Riesch	1: 59.72 min
38	FRG	Traudl Treichl	1: 59.86 min

World Champion 1972: Marie-Theres Nadig (SUI)
Date : February 7th, 12:00 noon
Length: 2400 m, difference in altitude: 575 m
Goals: 23

There were 50 runners at the start, 42 of them reached the finish.

Retired u. a .: Claudia Giordani (ITA), Irmgard Lukasser (AUT), Rosi Mittermaier (FRG), Cindy Nelson (USA)

Giant slalom

space	country	sportswoman	time
1	FRA	Fabienne Serrat	1: 43.18 min
2	FRG	Traudl Treichl	1: 43.72 min
3	FRA	Jacqueline Rouvier	1: 43.81 min
4th	AUT	Annemarie Moser-Pröll	1: 44.24 min
5	AUT	Monika Kaserer	1: 44.35 min
6th	United States	Barbara Ann Cochran	1: 44.51 min
7th	LIE	Hanni Wenzel	1: 44.55 min
8th	United States	Marilyn Cochran	1: 44.73 min
-	-	-	-
10	AUT	Brigitte Schroll	1: 45.01 min
14th	AUT	Irmgard Lukasser	1: 46.11 min
15th	FRG	Christa Zechmeister	1: 46.64 min
16	SUI	Marianne Jäger	1: 47.08 min
18th	FRG	Elisabeth Mayr	1: 47.64 min
25th	LIE	Ursula Konzett	1: 50.21 min
34	LIE	Andrea Risch	1: 53.21 min

World Champion 1972: Marie-Theres Nadig (SUI)
Date : February 3rd, 12:00 p.m.
Elevation difference: 405 m
Goals: 65

61 runners started, 48 of them reached the finish.

Retired u. a .: Claudia Giordani (ITA), Michèle Jacot (FRA), Kathy Kreiner (CAN), Rosi Mittermaier (FRG), Lise-Marie Morerod (SUI), Marie-Theres Nadig (SUI), Cindy Nelson (USA), Bernadette Zurbriggen (SUI)

The low start numbers were disadvantaged in this new snow race (including Monika Kaserer with 1 and Annemarie Pröll with 3), the numbers for gold, silver and bronze were 4, 7 and 6. The runners who came afterwards did not find good conditions either (only Hanni Wenzel at 15 came in 7th place).

slalom

space	country	sportswoman	time
1	LIE	Hanni Wenzel	1: 34.63 min
2	FRA	Michèle Jacot	1: 35.15 min
3	SUI	Lise-Marie Morerod	1: 35.29 min
4th	FRA	Fabienne Serrat	1: 35.61 min
5	ITA	Claudia Giordani	1: 36.19 min
6th	FRG	Rosi Mittermaier	1: 36.39 min
7th	AUT	Monika Kaserer	1: 36.61 min
8th	NOR	Toril Førland	1: 36.72 min
-	-	-	-
10	FRG	Pamela Behr	1: 38.23 min
13	AUT	Irmgard Lukasser	1: 38.93 min
29	LIE	Ursula Konzett	1: 45.37 min

World Champion 1972: Barbara Ann Cochran (USA)
Date : February 8, 10:00 a.m. (1st run), 1:00 p.m. (2nd run)
Length: 420 m, difference in altitude: 135 m,
Goals: 52 (1st run ), 52 (2nd run)

There were 62 runners at the start, 42 of them reached the finish.

Retired u. a .: Betsy Clifford (USA), Barbara Ann Cochran (USA), Marilyn Cochran (USA), Danièle Debernard (FRA), Brigitte Hauser (AUT), Annemarie Moser-Pröll (AUT), Marie-Theres Nadig (SUI), Traudl Treichl (FRG), Christa Zechmeister (FRG), Bernadette Zurbriggen (SUI)

With start no. 13 started the race, Zechmeister fell in the first goal after the interim time, in which she showed the best mark with 22.06 seconds. This passage was recognized as a «key point» at the start of the race and warned about it. Rosi Mittermaier was in 3rd place after the first run, but fell back to 6th place. Hanni Wenzel's start was in question at short notice after she had injured herself three weeks earlier during downhill training in Bad Gastein and was now riding with knee pads on her right leg.

combination

space	country	sportswoman	Points
1	FRA	Fabienne Serrat	20.14
2	LIE	Hanni Wenzel	25.31
3	AUT	Monika Kaserer	27.44
4th	CAN	Judy Crawford	45.83
5	NOR	Toril Førland	54.52
6th	NOR	Anette Schaumburg	102.26
7th	NOR	Siri Møling	112.33
8th	GBR	Valentina Iliffe	120.33

World Champion 1972: Annemarie Pröll (AUT)
61 runners took part, 15 of them classified. The positions were determined according to a point system from the results of the downhill, giant slalom and slalom.

Medal table

space	country	gold	silver	bronze	total
1	Austria	3	3	2	8th
2	France	2	1	1	4th
3	Italy	2	-	1	3
4th	Liechtenstein	1	1	1	3
5	BR Germany	-	1	1	2
6th	Canada	-	1	-	1
	Poland	-	1	-	1
8th	Switzerland	-	-	1	1
	Spain	-	-	1	1

Individual evidence

1. ^ "WM in St. Moritz, Falun" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna May 30, 1971, p. 12 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
2. ^ "Will the united front of the FIS hold?" With the subtitle "Final spurt of the World Cup candidates". In "Sport Zurich" No. 61 of May 27, 1971, page 10
3. ↑ "Why St. Moritz got the 1974 World Cup". In “Sport Zürich” No. 62 of June 1, 1971, page 31
4. ↑ "Reinhard Tritscher carried the flag". In "Salzburger Nachrichten" No. 29 of February 4, 1974, page 29; POS .: columns 4 and 5, below
5. ↑ «Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz at risk?" In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna December 6, 1973, p. 15 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
6. ↑ Ski World Cup begins with women's giant slalom and column 5 above: A bad start In: Süddeutsche Zeitung No. 28, February 2, 1974
7. ^ "Departure without Franz Vogler"; last paragraph; “Süddeutsche Zeitung” No. 34 of February 9, 1974, page 30
8. ^ "German slalom runners slip" and "Christa Zechmeister's black Friday"; «Süddeutsche Zeitung» No. 34 from 9/10. February 1974, page 30