Franz Klammer
is a champion alpine ski racer from Austria. He dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons, from 1975 till 1978, and won again in 1983. He won the gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He won 25 downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel. He holds the record for the most victories on the full course at Kitzbühel. After his retirement from alpine competition, he began motor racing, and won a round of the prestigious European Touring Car Championship multiple times. He has established the Franz Klammer Foundation, which benefits seriously injured athletes. He was named the Austrian Sportsman of the Year in 1975, 1976 and 1983, received the Skieur d’Or in 1975, the golden Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria, the silver medal for the province of Carinthia in 1982 and the golden one in 2003. He was named as an honorary citizen of his home Fresach.
