Olympic Winter Games 1984 / Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics
information
venue	Trnovo
Competition venue	Bjelašnica / Jahorina
Nations	42
Athletes	225 (149 , 76 )
date	13-19 February 1984
decisions	6th
← Lake Placid 1980 Calgary 1988 →

Six alpine skiing competitions were held at the XIV Olympic Games in Sarajevo in 1984 . The slopes were located on the slopes of Bjelašnica and Jahorina mountains .

For the first time, the FIS did not award any world championship medals to the top performers at these Olympic Games. The next world championship took place in Bormio a year later . There was also no combined classification.

A year earlier, pre-Olympic downhill runs, which were part of the World Cup , had been held first for the men and then for the women . The one on January 28th was won by Gerhard Pfaffenbichler , but none of the 15 world cup prizes in 1984 could win an Olympic medal. In contrast, Maria Walliser, who was victorious on February 5, 1983, won the silver medal and the fourth-placed Olga Charvátová won the bronze medal.

this and that

• Several ex-ski racers were employed as guest writers or “TV experts” in newspapers or on television. So wrote Rosi Mittermaier columns in the Bild newspaper that her husband Christian Neureuther was the ZDF available, Ken Read had a "job" in Canadian television.
• The journey of the ÖSV men's technician team, which was on the road for 21 hours, was not ideal . The departure was on February 12th at 7:00 am by train to Zurich, from there by flight to Zagreb, where a 12-hour stop came in between before the onward flight to Sarajevo was possible.

Injuries

As with the ladies Irene Epple (please see the article on the “ladies descent”), Todd Brooker was able to start the Olympic descent despite a collateral ligament tear in his right knee during the World Cup descent on the steep slope in Kitzbühel.

Sporting events

Selections:

• The French selection company announced its team for the alpine ski competitions on January 29th with 6 men and 8 women.
• Downhill trainer Karl Frehsner announced a quintet on February 3, 1984, immediately after the race in Cortina d'Ampezzo (this had been won by Helmut Höflehner and was considered the “Olympic dress rehearsal”) for the Swiss men's downhill list . There was no discussion about Pirmin Zurbriggen and Urs Räber (they were already “pre-qualified”), the other aspirants were Conradin Cathomen , Franz Heinzer and Peter Müller , two of whom were to be selected in a selection. So Bruno Kernen , who had not been able to count on the “Olympic ticket” anyway because of a missing top position, and Silvano Meli , who was hit hard by the non-nomination, were not taken into account. After the first training sessions, Räber was set aside, Müller was the first to qualify. The SSV technicians also had to prove themselves, with Joël Gaspoz surprisingly succeeded in asserting himself against team members classified as more promising in the last selection , although his season results did not necessarily speak for him. Nevertheless, Jacques Lüthy's 6th place was too late on February 4th in Borowez . The media assumed that Martin Hangl's lack of experience and the fact that in January (under the pressure of selection) he did not achieve similar good placements than before spoke against Martin Hangl . Here were Max Julen and Pirmin Zurbriggen has already been determined earlier, Thomas Bürgler had secured his place thanks to Team Rank 7 in the aforementioned "giant" in Borovets.
• For the Austrians, it was the two medal winners from Lake Placid, Leonhard Stock and Peter Wirnsberger, who fell by the wayside.

Regarding Borowetz, it was strange that of all people Ingemar Stenmark and Marc Girardelli (two fastest times in the slalom), who were placed in 1st and 2nd place, were not allowed to start in Sarajevo. Hubert Strolz was assigned the last starting place at the ÖSV. Ultimately, it was also questionable who would be the fourth runner in the downhill men of the ÖSV, coach Karl Kahr decided on the East Tyrolean after the times in which Peter Müller, Bill Johnson, Pirmin Zurbriggen and Anton Steiner each set the best times (This also eliminated the world champion from 1982, Harti Weirather ), which turned out to be a good choice, because he then also won the only ever cited Olympic medal. The cancellation of the departure on February 9th, which had already happened two hours before the start at 12 o'clock, meant that it was postponed to February 10th, and a new starting number drawing was necessary. On February 9, the order of the first 18 was Müller, Johnson, Brooker, Höflehner, Resch, Räber, Steiner, Cathomen, Athans, Mair, Podborski, Zurbriggen, Lee, Klammer, Wildgruber, Gidoni, Dürr and Makeev, the next day it was said Mair, Zurbriggen, Räber, Höflehner, Steiner, Lee, Athans, Podborski, Wildgruber, Cathomen, Resch, Klammer, Müller, Johnson, Brooker. The draw for February 12 was in the order of Johnson, Resch, Lee, Podborski, Zurbriggen, Brooker, Athans, Müller, Wildgruber, Steiner, Höflehner, Klammer, Mair, Cathomen, Räber.

Racing action

Men: :
Departure:

• Due to the renewed cancellation of the departure on February 12th, the President of the ÖSV, Arnold Koller, allowed his drivers a short-term trip home, which was carried out on the same day. The drivers stayed away for only two days, and returned on February 14th. The Swiss team didn't mind the long wait. Coach Karl Frehsner explained that everyone had already experienced this stress during summer training in Argentina in 1983, when the weather and other inadequacies, some of which were caused by the local organizers, had been a problem for days.
• There were even rumors that the descent would not take place until Aspen , with financially strong sponsors from the USA taking care of that.

Women :
Downhill:

• Irene Epple's start in the descent was questionable, as she pulled the inner ligament in her left knee during training on February 8th when she fell back on the landing after the 20 m jump on the finish slope and came with her her buttocks had touched the floor, after which she had been able to stand up again. On the evening of February 10th it was already clear that there would be no race the next day and there was an immediate postponement to February 13th. and since the new date didn't hold up either (which was already fixed on February 12th), a new program was set to start on February 15th. Epple was there again in the final training on February 14th, but she was the slowest of the DSV women in the first run (approx. 2 seconds behind the fastest Charvatova at all), which she justified by saying that she “first got the inhibition threshold after her Had to overcome injury ”. Michaela Gerg failed in the DSV internal qualification (she was almost a second slower than Heidi Wiesler). The descent had to be interrupted on February 15 after only four runners in the first group and ultimately canceled, although the inexperienced jury had ordered a restart first. In the course of the race, six runners from the rear starting group, to be designated as "pre-drawn" or "star drivers" (please see " Downhill skiing "), started the competition, with Ivana Valešová (ČSSR) falling when she lost a ski. Then Michela Figini set a time with No. 1 that Holly Flanders (No. 2) and Caroline Attia (No. 4) did not achieve - in between, No. 3 Gerry Sorensen was in the same place as Valešová with lost skis eliminated, although she had not fallen. It was not possible for the journalists to determine whether a hearing defect had led to the interruption (had it been “hole” for “hole” or “hold” for “to stop”?). Apparently the Austrian FIS delegate Hilde Schmidt-Hofherr (it was the former racer Hilde Hofherr ) understood that there was a hole in the slope and had the race stopped for "repair". Starting judge O'Connor from Canada is said to have heard "hold up"

Giant slalom:

• The ÖSV women, who had not been able to keep up with the world's best in giant slalom for about three years now, which also had an effect on their relapse in the start lists, were already behind due to this circumstance; they had to start the race with No. 17 Kirchler, 24 Kronbichler, 28 Steiner and 32 Eder.

Balance sheet

Medal table

space	country				total
1	United States	3	2	-	5
2	Switzerland	2	2	-	4th
3	Italy	1	-	-	1
4th	France	-	1	2	3
5	Yugoslavia	-	1	-	1
6th	Liechtenstein	-	-	2	2
7th	Austria	-	-	1	1
	Czechoslovakia	-	-	1	1

Medalist

Men competitor gold silver bronze Departure Bill Johnson Peter Müller Anton Steiner Giant slalom Max Julen Jure Franko Andreas Wenzel slalom Phil Mahre Steve Mahre Didier Bouvet

Women competitor gold silver bronze Departure Michela Figini Maria Walliser Olga Charvátová Giant slalom Debbie Armstrong Christin Cooper Perrine Pelen slalom Paoletta Magoni Perrine Pelen Ursula Konzett

Results men

Departure

space	country	athlete	Time (min)
1	United States	Bill Johnson	1: 45.59
2	SUI	Peter Müller	1: 45.86
3	AUT	Anton Steiner	1: 45.95
4th	SUI	Pirmin Zurbriggen	1: 46.05
5	SUI	Urs Räber	1: 46.32
	AUT	Helmut Höflehner
7th	FRG	Sepp Wildgruber	1: 46.53
8th	CAN	Steve Podborski	1: 46.59
9	CAN	Todd Brooker	1: 46.64
10	AUT	Franz Klammer	1: 47.04
11	AUT	Erwin Resch	1: 47.06
12	FRG	Klaus Gattermann	1: 47.12
13	LIE	Günther Marxer	1: 47.43
14th	SUI	Conradin Cathomen	1: 47.63
22nd	FRG	Herbert Renoth	1: 48.39

Date: February 16, 12:00 p.m.
Location: Bjelašnica
Start: 2076 m, Finish: 1273 m
Difference in altitude: 803 m, route length: 3066 m
Gates: 34

Due to the weather, the race was initially postponed from February 9th to February 12th and finally to February 16th and took place on the same day as the women's downhill. With gold, Bill Johnson won the first ever US men's medal in a speed discipline.

61 participants, 60 of them in the rating. Eliminated: Peter Dürr (FRG).

Giant slalom

space	country	athlete	Time (min)
1	SUI	Max Julen	2: 41.18
2	YUG	Jure Franko	2: 41.41
3	LIE	Andreas Wenzel	2: 41.75
4th	AUT	Franz Gruber	2: 42.08
5	YUG	Boris Strel	2: 42.36
6th	AUT	Hubert Strolz	2: 42.71
7th	ITA	Alex Giorgi	2: 43.00
8th	United States	Phil Mahre	2: 43.25
9	YUG	Bojan Križaj	2: 43.48
10	SUI	Joël Gaspoz	2: 43.60
11	SUI	Thomas Bürgler	2: 43.84
13	FRG	Egon Hirt	2: 44.11
23	LIE	Günther Marxer	2: 48.79

Date: February 14, 1:30 p.m.
Location: Bjelašnica
Start: 1745 m, Finish: 1363 m
Difference in altitude: 382 m
Gates: 56 (1st run), 55 (2nd run)

Two big favorites were eliminated in the first run: Pirmin Zurbriggen and Hans Enn. Jure Franko worked his way up from 4th place to silver and secured Yugoslavia the first Olympic alpine medal. The Austrian Franz Gruber fell out of the medal ranks from 3rd place.

108 participants, 76 of them in the rating. Retired u. a. (all 1st run): Grega Benedik (YUG), Hans Enn (AUT), Pirmin Zurbriggen (SUI) Johan Wallner (SWE), Franck Piccard (FRA), Anton Steiner . (AUT), (43) Michel Vion (FRA).

slalom

space	country	athlete	Time (min)
1	United States	Phil Mahre	1: 39.41
2	United States	Steve Mahre	1: 39.62
3	FRA	Didier Bouvet	1: 40.20
4th	SWE	Jonas Nilsson	1: 40.25
5	ITA	Oswald Tötsch	1: 40.48
6th	BUL	Petar Popangelov	1: 40.68
7th	YUG	Bojan Križaj	1: 41.51
8th	SWE	Lars-Göran Halvarsson	1: 41.70
9	SWE	Stig beach	1: 41.95
10	SUI	Thomas Bürgler	1: 42.03

Date: February 19, 10:30 a.m.
Location: Bjelašnica
Start: 1563 m, Finish: 1363 m
Difference in altitude: 200 m
Gates: 60 (1st run), 58 (2nd run)

Bouvet's bronze medal was the first Alpine Olympic medal for French men since 1968. None of the four Austrian starters made it into the rankings (this had only happened at the 1970 World Cup).

101 participants, 47 of them in the rating. Retired u. a .: Florian Beck (FRG), Hans Enn (AUT), Jure Franko (YUG), Paul Frommelt (LIE), Joël Gaspoz (SUI), Franz Gruber (AUT), Max Julen (SUI), Anton Steiner (AUT) , Hubert Strolz (AUT), Michel Vion (FRA), Andreas Wenzel (LIE), Pirmin Zurbriggen (SUI).

Results women

Departure

space	country	sportswoman	Time (min)
1	SUI	Michela Figini	1: 13.36
2	SUI	Maria Walliser	1: 13.41
3	TCH	Olga Charvátová	1: 13.53
4th	SUI	Ariane Ehrat	1: 13.95
5	TCH	Jana Gantnerová	1: 14.14
6th	FRG	Marina Kiehl	1: 14.30
	CAN	Gerry Sorensen
8th	AUT	Lea Sölkner	1: 14.39
9	AUT	Elisabeth Kirchler	1: 14.55
10	AUT	Veronika Wallinger	1: 14.76
12	SUI	Brigitte Oertli	1: 14.93
13	AUT	Sylvia Eder	1: 14.97
14th	FRG	Heidi Wiesler	1: 14.98
17th	FRG	Regine Mösenlechner	1: 15.16
23	FRG	Irene Epple	1: 15.65
17th	LIE	Jolanda Kindle	1: 16.89

Date: February 16, 10:30 a.m.
Location: Jahorina
Start: 1872 m, Finish: 1325 m
Difference in altitude: 547 m, route length: 1965 m
Gates: 28

32 participants, 30 of them in the evaluation. Olga Charvátová won the first ever Alpine Olympic medal for Czechoslovakia.

Giant slalom

space	country	sportswoman	Time (min)
1	United States	Debbie Armstrong	2: 20.98
2	United States	Christin Cooper	2: 21.38
3	FRA	Perrine Pelen	2: 21.40
4th	United States	Tamara McKinney	2: 21.83
5	FRG	Marina Kiehl	2: 22.03
6th	ESP	Blanca Fernández Ochoa	2: 22.14
7th	SUI	Erika Hess	2: 22.51
8th	TCH	Olga Charvátová	2: 22.57
9	CAN	Liisa Savijarvi	2: 22.73
10	FRA	Anne-Flore Rey	2: 22.95
12	SUI	Michela Figini	2: 23.34
13	FRG	Maria Epple	2: 23.65
14th	AUT	Anni Kronbichler	2: 24.17
15th	SUI	Monika Hess	2: 24.58
19th	LIE	Petra Wenzel	2: 24.94
21st	FRG	Irene Epple	2: 25.52
24	FRG	Michaela Gerg	2: 26.28
27	AUT	Roswitha Steiner	2: 26.56
34	AUT	Sylvia Eder	2: 29.03

Date: February 13th, 12:00 noon
Location: Jahorina
Start: 1665 m, Finish: 1328 m
Difference in altitude: 337 m
Gates: 51 (1st run), 55 (2nd run)

The first run was held in sunshine, the second in light snowfall. 54 participants, 43 of them in the evaluation. Retired u. a .: Jana Gantnerová (TCH), Elisabeth Kirchler (AUT), Ursula Konzett (LIE), Fabienne Serrat (FRA), Maria Walliser (SUI).

slalom

space	country	sportswoman	Time (min)
1	ITA	Paoletta Magoni	1: 36.47
2	FRA	Perrine Pelen	1: 37.38
3	LIE	Ursula Konzett	1: 37.50
4th	AUT	Roswitha Steiner	1: 37.84
5	SUI	Erika Hess	1: 37.91
6th	POLE	Małgorzata Mogore-Tlałka	1: 37.97
7th	ITA	Maria Rosa Quario	1: 37.99
8th	AUT	Anni Kronbichler	1: 38.05
9	ITA	Daniela Zini	1: 38.15
10	TCH	Olga Charvátová	1: 38.66
11	SUI	Monika Hess	1: 38.67
12	FRG	Maria Epple	1: 38.77
17th	LIE	Jolanda Kindle	1: 46.43

Date: February 17, 11:30 a.m.
Location: Jahorina
Start: 1840 m, Finish: 1670 m
Difference in altitude: 170 m
Gates: 57 (1st run), 59 (2nd run)

Magoni (1982 winner of the combination at the Junior World Championships in Auron) improved from rank 4 in the first run to the title and won the first ever Alpine Olympic gold for the Italian women. Before that, she had not won a World Cup race.

45 participants, 21 of them in the evaluation. Retired u. a .: Christin Cooper (USA), Blanca Fernández Ochoa (ESP), Christelle Guignard (FRA), Tamara McKinney (USA), Dorota Mogore-Tlałka (POL), Brigitte Oertli (SUI), Anne-Flore Rey (FRA), Lea Sölkner (AUT), Veronika Wallinger (AUT), Petra Wenzel (LIE).

Web links

• Overview of all races in the database of the International Ski Federation (English)
• Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ^ Glossary "Sarajevo aktuell", last article in Kleine Zeitung of February 11, 1984, page 8
2. ^ "Scandal" in the Kronenzeitung on February 14, 1984; Supplement "Olympia-Extra", page 1
3. ↑ “Olympic dream finished?” In Kleine Zeitung of January 30, 1984, page 24; POS .: Column 4
4. ^ "The French have already nominated" in Kleine Zeitung of January 30, 1984; Page 24; POS .: Column 3, below
5. ^ "Swiss departure quintet intended for Sarajevo" in Neue Zürcher Zeitung, long-distance edition No. 28 of February 4, 1984, page 45, POS. Column 1, middle
6. ↑ "Two Swiss people destined for the Olympic Downhill" and "Last selection in the alpine team a surprise: Gaspoz" in Neue Zürcher Zeitung, remote edition no. 30 of February 7, 1984, page 25
7. ↑ "Höflehner won in the snow - Weirather at the green table" in the Kronenzeitung on February 3, 1984, pages 3 and 2 from the back
8. ↑ "Today the fight for four places in downhill teams begins" and "Three medal candidates - but unfortunately only one starting place is available for the Olympics" in the Kronenzeitung of February 4, 1984, special supplement "Olympia extra", pages 1 and 2
9. ↑ "The Olympia wolf howled" in the Kronenzeitung of February 5, 1984, special supplement "Olympia extra", page 3
10. ↑ “Stenmark before Gira. 'Now there is a shadow on the Olympic medals' ”in the Kronenzeitung on February 5, 1984, special supplement“ Olympia extra ”, page 2
11. ↑ "Strolz is our No. 8" in the Kronenzeitung dated February 6, 1984, special supplement "Olympia extra", page 12
12. ↑ "Best time! Toni Steiner is 4th man ”; POS .: title page . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 9, 1984, p. 1 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
13. ^ "Almost like in Innsbruck: bracket with no. 14" in Tiroler Tageszeitung no. 33 of February 9, 1984, page 15; POS. center
14. ↑ "Höflehner with No. 4" in Tiroler Tageszeitung No. 34 of February 10, 1984, page 14; POS. Column 1
15. ↑ Gloss below: “Our man in Sarajevo” . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 14, 1984, p. 11 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
16. ^ "Home leave for downhill drivers" in Tiroler Tageszeitung No. 36 of February 13, 1984, page 14; POS. Column 1, below
17. ↑ “Downhill there!”; POS .: Column 2, middle . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 15, 1984, p. 13 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
18. ↑ "The Swiss have trained the Olympic stress" in Kleine Zeitung of February 14, 1984, page 24; POS .: bottom left
19. ↑ “Will a World Cup race become an Olympic Downhill?” In the Kronenzeitung on February 12, 1984, pages 4 and 5
20. ^ "Ladies' downhill run on Monday" in the Kleine Zeitung of February 11, 1984, Olympia pages 8 and 9
21. ↑ "Home leave for departure ace" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 13, 1984, p. 11 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
22. ↑ "Does Epple fail?" In Tiroler Tageszeitung No. 33 of February 9, 1984, page 34; POS. Column 4, above
23. ↑ “Kirchler is raging: They do everything so that Switzerland wins” in Tiroler Tageszeitung No. 38 of February 15, 1984, page 15; POS. top right
24. ↑ “Gold on 'new slopes'. Crouch down to the finish ”; POS .: columns 4 and 5, below . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 15, 1984, p. 13 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
25. ^ "Demolition - and the vortex began" in Tiroler Tageszeitung No. 38 of February 16, 1984, page 12
26. ↑ "Hearing defects led to scandal" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 16, 1984, p. 11 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
27. ^ "Panic, breakdowns, protests - again cancellation" in the Kronenzeitung on February 16, 1984, "Olympia supplement", pages 2 and 3
28. ^ "Hearing defects in the radio to blame for cancellation" in Kleine Zeitung of February 16, 1984, Olympia pages 4 and 5