Schlechter was accepted into the squad of the Austrian Ski Association in the mid-1970s . In the winter of 1974/75, the only 15-year-old competed in her first European Cup races and she already made it onto the podium in the first descent from Cervinia . In the 1975/76 season, the Tyrolean was able to improve further. She finished in the top three in three giant slaloms, thus securing victory in the discipline ranking ahead of her teammate Ingrid Eberle . In the World Cup , she took her first points on December 11, 1976 with ninth place in the giant slalom in Courmayeur . Schlechter won the silver medal in the downhill at the European Junior Championships in 1977 in Kranjska Gora . In this race, however, she tore a collateral ligament in her knee while jumping shortly before the finish, which is why she was unable to start the next day in the giant slalom, where she was considered a big favorite. In the 1977/78 European Cup season, Schlechter won the giant slalom in Jochberg and came third in three slaloms.
On January 19, 1979, Kurz-Schlechter, who was now married, made it into the World Cup points for the second time. Completely surprising, she achieved third place in the slalom in Hasliberg near Meiringen behind her teammate Regina Sackl and the Italian Claudia Giordani . However, the Tyrolean never came close to this result. In the further course of the season she finished three times in the top 20. Next winter, 15th place in the giant slalom in Berchtesgaden was her best result. Due to persistent knee problems, she announced her resignation after the 1979/80 season, at the age of only 20.
Austria
