Austria has been one of the most successful nations in the winter Olympics. They have been there at every winter Olympic games since the first one in 1924. A total of 201 medals have been won, 55 of those being gold.
Three Austrian athletes have won three gold medals in the Winter games, including the late Toni Sailer (pictured), who won all three in various skiing events--in the downhill, giant slalom and slalom--at Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956. He died in 2009.
The other two who have won three in the winter games were Felix Gottwald, who won twice in the team Nordic combined sprint at Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010 and in the Nordic combined sprint at Turin 2006, and Thomas Morgenstern, who won in the team large hill jumping at Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010, and in the individual large hill at Turin 2006.
Ten have won two gold medals in the winter games, including Hermann 'the Herminator' Maier (pictured), whose career was derailed due to automobile accident. The 'Herminator' won twice on the slopes in the Super G and giant slalom at Nagano 1998. The other two time gold medalists in the winter games from Austria are as follows:
- Karl Schafer, men's singles figure skating, Lake Placid 1932 & Garnisch Partenkinchen 1936
- Trude Jochum Beiser, combined at St. Moritz 1948 & downhill at Oslo 1952.
- Petra Kronberger, women's combined and slalom at Albertville 1992
- Michaela Dorfmeister, women's Alpine and Super G, Turin 2006
- Benjamin Raich, men's giant and slalom, Turin 2006
- Andreas Kotler, men's large hill ski jump, Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010
- Andreas Linger, mixed doubles luge, Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010
- Wolfgang Linger, mixed doubles luge, Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010
- Mario Stecher, men's team Nordic combined, Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010
Austria has also hosted the winter Olympics twice, both at Innsbruck in 1964 and again in 1976.
Up next: Azerbaijan
No comments:
Post a Comment