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Known as “the black lightning bolt from Kitz,’’ Toni Sailer took to the air during his winning run in the men’s downhill during the Olympics in Cortina, Italy. (Associated Press/ File 1956) |
Toni Sailer; Austrian swept 3 Olympic Alpine golds in ’56
VIENNA - Austrian skiing great Toni Sailer, who in 1956 became the first skier to win all three Alpine gold medals at a Winter Olympics, died in Innsbruck Monday after a long illness, his Kitzbuehel Ski Club said. He was 73.
In Austria, where skiing is a national pastime, Mr. Sailer’s death symbolized the end of an era. President Heinz Fischer issued a statement paying tribute to Mr. Sailer as “a top athlete who already became a legend during his lifetime.’’
Mr. Sailer won the downhill, slalom, and giant slalom at the 1956 Cortina Olympics in Italy. At the world championships there, he took gold in the downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and combined.
Mr. Sailer, who reportedly strapped on skis for the first time at age 2, also won gold in the downhill, giant slalom, and combined, as well as silver in the slalom, at the world championships in Bad Gastein, Austria, two years later. Due to his speed, he became known as “the black lightning bolt from Kitz.’’
After retiring from competition in 1959, Mr. Sailer became a singer and an actor. He produced skis in Canada and served as technical director of the Austrian Ski Federation between 1972 and 1976. He also served as the race director of the prestigious Hahnenkamm competition, where he won the downhill race in 1957 and the giant slalom in 1958. In both years, he also won downhill gold at Switzerland’s Lauberhorn piste.
Mr. Sailer was awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee in 1985. In 1999, he was honored as Austria’s sportsman of the century.
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