Franz Heinzer
{{short description|Swiss alpine skier}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox alpine ski racer
| name = Franz Heinzer
| image = Franz Heinzer.png
| image_size = 260 px
| caption =
| disciplines = Downhill, Super G,
Combined
| club =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|04|11}}
| birth_place = Rickenbach, Schwyz, Switzerland
| height = 181 cm
| wcdebut = 1981 – (age 18)
| retired = March 1994 – (age 31)
| website =
| olympicteams = 3 – (1988–94)
| olympicmedals = 0
| olympicgolds =
| worldsmedals = 1
| worldsgolds = 1
| wcwins = 17 – (15 DH, 2 K)
| wcpodiums = 45
| wcoveralls = 0
| wctitles = 4 – (3 DH, 1 SG)
| show-medals = yes
| medals =
{{MedalSport | Men's alpine skiing }}
{{MedalCountry | {{SUI}} }}
{{MedalCount|total=yes|type=World Cup race podiums
| Downhill | 15 | 10 | 9
| Super-G | 0 | 4 | 2
| Combined | 2 | 2 | 1
}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}
{{MedalGold | 1991 Saalbach | Downhill }}
}}
Franz Heinzer (born 11 April 1962 in Rickenbach, Schwyz, Switzerland) is a former alpine ski racer, who specialized in downhill. He was World Cup champion in downhill three consecutive seasons (1991, 1992, 1993), second only to Franz Klammer (4 consecutive). He won a total of 15 World Cup downhill races, fourth behind Klammer (25), Peter Müller (19) and Stephan Eberharter (18). Together with Franz Klammer, Toni Sailer, Jean Claude Killy, Karl Schranz and Stephan Eberharter, he is considered among the best downhill racers of all time. He also won the season title in Super-G in 1991.
Career
Heinzer won at the world's most famous downhill venues: Kitzbühel (3x), Wengen, Val Gardena (2x), Garmisch, Val-d'Isère, Aspen, Lake Louise, and St. Anton. His victory in the downhill event at the 1991 World Championships came after three fourth places at previous championships (Schladming (1982), Bormio (1985) and Crans-Montana (1987). He didn't compete in the downhill at Vail in 1989. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, his right binding released at the starting gate, putting him out of the downhill race.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgTMDwctxyo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/JgTMDwctxyo |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|publisher=Eurosport|title=YouTube video: Franz Heinzer, 1994 Olympic downhill|date=13 February 1994|access-date=2 October 2012}}{{cbignore}}
A month later, Heinzer retired from international competition at age 31 with 17 World Cup victories and 45 podiums. He now runs his own sports products company in Altdorf, and since the winter of 2004, also works as the assistant coach of Swiss national downhill team.{{cite web|url=http://web.swiss-ski.biz/athleten/index.php?showId=2067|publisher=Swiss Ski team|title=Franz Heinzer|access-date=2 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614153617/http://web.swiss-ski.biz/athleten/index.php?showId=2067|archive-date=14 June 2015|url-status=dead}}
The Franz Heinzer Piste in the Swiss ski resort of Stoos, a FIS-approved downhill run on the Klingenstock,
{{cite web|title=Franz Heinzer Piste|url=https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/franz-heinzer-piste.html|website=myswitzerland.com|publisher=Switzerland Tourism|access-date=4 January 2018}}
World Cup results
=Season standings=
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Season !! Age !! Overall !! Slalom !! Giant | |||||||
| 1981 | 18 | 36 | — | — | rowspan=2 | not run | 10 | — |
| 1982 | 19 | 26 | — | — | 10 | — | |
| 1983 | 20 | 26 | — | 19 | rowspan=3 | not awarded | 19 | 9 |
| 1984 | 21 | 6 | — | 18 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1985 | 22 | 5 | — | 36 | 6 | bgcolor="silver" | 2 | |
| 1986 | 23 | 13 | — | — | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| 1987 | 24 | 12 | — | — | 25 | bgcolor="cc9966" | 3 | — |
| 1988 | 25 | 8 | — | — | 16 | bgcolor="cc9966" | 3 | 13 |
| 1989 | 26 | 31 | — | — | 20 | 14 | — |
| 1990 | 27 | 17 | — | — | 21 | 7 | 21 |
| 1991 | 28 | 4 | — | — | bgcolor="gold" | 1 | bgcolor="gold" | 1 | — |
| 1992 | 29 | 5 | — | — | 7 | bgcolor="gold" | 1 | — |
| 1993 | 30 | bgcolor="cc9966" | 3 | — | — | bgcolor="cc9966" | 3 | bgcolor="gold" | 1 | — |
| 1994 | 31 | 36 | — | — | 29 | 16 | — |
=Season titles=
=Individual races=
17 race victories: 15 downhill, 2 combined
| class="wikitable"
! Season ! Date ! Location ! Race | |||
| align=center | 1983 | 19 December 1982 | Val Gardena, Italy | Combined |
| rowspan=2 align=center | 1984 | 9 December 1983 | rowspan=2 | Val-d'Isère, France | Downhill |
| 10 December 1983 | Combined | ||
| align=center | 1986 | 22 February 1986 | Åre, Sweden | Downhill |
| align=center | 1987 | 4 January 1987 | Laax, Switzerland | Downhill |
| align=center | 1988 | 11 March 1988 | Beaver Creek, USA | Downhill |
| rowspan=4 align=center | 1991 | 14 December 1990 | Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill |
| 12 January 1991 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | |
| 8 March 1991 | Aspen, USA | Downhill | |
| 16 March 1991 | Lake Louise, Canada | Downhill | |
| rowspan=4 align=center | 1992 | 14 December 1991 | Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill |
| 17 January 1992 | rowspan=2 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | |
| 18 January 1992 | Downhill | ||
| 25 January 1992 | Wengen, Switzerland | Downhill | |
| rowspan=3 align=center | 1993 | 10 January 1993 | Garmisch, Germany | Downhill |
| 16 January 1993 | St. Anton, Austria | Downhill | |
| 23 January 1993 | Veysonnaz, Switzerland | Downhill |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{sports links}}
- {{Ski-DB}}
{{Footer World Champions Downhill Men}}
{{Footer Downhill World Cup Winners Men}}
{{Footer SuperG World Cup Winners Men}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heinzer, Franz}}
Category:Swiss male alpine skiers
Category:Olympic alpine skiers for Switzerland
Category:Alpine skiers at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Category:Alpine skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Category:Alpine skiers at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Category:FIS Alpine Ski World Cup champions