INNSBRUCK 1976
 

Flying Franz | Innsbruck, 1976 - In 1975, Franz Klammer - the man known as "Kaiser Franz", or "The Austrian Astronaut", or "The Klammer Express", won 8 of 9 World Cup downhill races. So the hometown crowd in Austria, where skiing is sacred, expected nothing less than gold from their downhill demon. On perhaps the most treacherous course in Olympic history, defending champion Bernhard Russi, from Switzerland, reached the finish in 1 minute, 46.06 seconds. Eleven more skiers failed to reach his mark. Last up - Klammer. Some 60,000 Austrian fans lined the course, chanting "Klammer! Klammer!"  The course now a slick icy sheet, Klammer flirted with disaster from the start.  He almost missed a gate, and throughout the run, Klammer nearly skidded off the mountain. The result of this reckless ride: 1:45.73, the fastest time ever in an Olympic downhill, and a whole generation of inspired skiers. Said Klammer: "I thought I was going to crash all the way.