Three legends of Austrian Sport are 70 years old: (L-R) Hans Krankl, Annemarie Moser, Franz Klammer (Photo by @GEPA/Sporthilfe)
Josef Langer – AIPS EC Member – Austria
VIENNA, January 3, 2024 – 2023 was a special year for Austrian sports. That’s why cyclist Felix Gall, winner of the “king stage” of the Tour de France, and Eva Pinkelnig, overall World Cup winner in ski jumping, became Sportsman of the Year, and the footballers who qualified for EURO 2024, became Team of the Year. But three legends celebrated their 70th birthdays in 2023 and were honoured with standing ovations at the big “Sports Aid Gala” in Vienna: Hans Krankl, Annemarie Moser and Franz Klammer.
HANS The long-time Rapid Vienna footballer Hans Krankl, who became the “Hero of Cordoba” with his two goals in the 3-2 victory over Germany at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and later the crowd favourite of FC Barcelona, is the first of the three jubilarians. On February 14, 1953, the current Sky expert was born in Vienna. In 1978 he was awarded the “UEFA Golden Shoe” for 41 Rapid goals, and a year later he was the top scorer in the Spanish league (29 goals). As a coach, Krankl was also team boss of Austria.
ANNEMARIE The second heroine: ski star Annemarie Moser-Pröll, born March 27th 1953 – she won the overall World Cup 6 times and became Olympic downhill champion in Lake Placid in 1980. The Salzburg native won 62 Alpine World Cup races. In 1999 she received the award “World Winter Sportswoman of the 20th Century” in the hands of Muhammad Ali at the Vienna State Opera. For the 70th birthday honour, she even ended a trip to Scotland earlier than planned.
FRANZ Finally, on 3 December, Franz Klammer also turned 70 – he has been “immortal” since his Olympic downhill victory in Innsbruck in 1976. This year, for the first time, the trophy for the “Carinthian Sportsman of the Year” was named after him – they received the “Franz”. Snowboard ace Anna Gasser laughed: “I’ve always wanted to take Franz home.”
The three received a standing ovation from around 1,400 guests at the gala in the Wiener Stadthalle. They have also long been anchored in Austria’s sports history.