Franz Zingerle (11 December 1908 – 12 June 1988) was the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

and world champion. Zingerle became a world downhill champion in 1935.

Biography

He comes from a poor farmers family as the oldest son from a total of eight kids. Already during his childhood he developed a love for skiing. As a teenager, he first worked as a laborer until he learned to be a bricklayer. At the age of 17, he bought skis for the first time and joined the

Axams Axams is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was ...

, ski club which held the first ski races on the Birgitzer Alm. Shortly after he joined the club, he became the club's first club champion in 1926. Moreover, 1926 is considered as the beginning year of his successful career. At the age of 21, he came to the

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

Ski Club, where he was able to participate regularly in ski races in the winter of 1929/30. The following season, he was downhill and slalom winner in

Seefeld Seefeld may refer to: Places * Seefeld in Tirol, a tourist resort in Tyrol, Austria * Seefeld, Bavaria, a town in Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany ** Seefeld Castle * Seefeld, Schleswig-Holstein, a municipality in Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Ho ...

. In the winter of 1932, he won the downhill and the combination competition at the Austrian championships in

Zell am See Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...

. He then took part in Cortina d’Ampezzo, with his best result of sixth place in the slalom. With second place in downhill and slalom, he also took the victory in the combination at Feldberg in the Black Forest in the same year. In addition, he ended the season with a slalom win at the

Arlberg-Kandahar The Arlberg-Kandahar race (often abbreviated A-K or AK) is an annual alpine skiing event. The first edition of the race was held in 1928 in St. Anton, in the Arlberg district of Austria. The location originally alternated between St. Anton and M� ...

races in

St. Anton Sankt Anton am Arlberg, commonly referred to as St Anton, is a village and ski resort in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It lies in the Tyrolean Alps, with aerial tramways and chairlifts up to , yielding a vertical drop of . It is also a popular s ...

. In the winter of 1933, he won the Tyrolean downhill skiing championship and the cross-country skiing competition at the

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...

championships. At the Austrian championship in Kitzbühel, the now 24-year-old skier reached second place in the slalom and the combination competition. In the same winter he won the combination victory in the competition for the "Golden Ring" from Seefeld. In 1934, Franz Zingerle successfully passed the state ski instructor examination. In the same year he became the national coach of the Czechoslovak team. in the 1933/34 season, he won the downhill from the Glungezer. In the winter of 1935, Zingerle concentrated on his career and celebrated his greatest triumph in his career with the downhill victory at the World Championship in Mürren. He also achieved top position at the Austrian championship in Zell am See and was very successful in international races abroad, where he won the ČSR Grand Prix in the High Tatras and the downhill on the Marmolada in the Dolomites. In the winter of 1937, he participated for the last time at a world championship but with a disappointing 13th place in slalom. He was no longer able to match or hold his previous performances. He achieved further good results with fifth place in the downhill run and seventh place in the gate run at the Grand Prix of Megève. Afterwards, Franz Zingerle ended his active career and only competed in regional races, whereby in 1939 he was once again able to win the title of Tyrolean downhill champion. During his last season as an active player, he also worked as a coach for the French women's national team in 1937/38. In the winter of 1938/39, he took over the Polish national team, but had to withdraw from the post after the war began. Franz Zingerle was captured in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After returning home, he went back to his old job as a bricklayer and took care of the family's small agriculture. He only continued to follow skiing to support his only child, his daughter Christine, who showed talent during school and adolescence, but she was not interested anymore. Today, Franz Zingerle is known for his accomplishments which he achieved during his career.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zingerle, Franz 1908 births 1988 deaths Austrian male alpine skiers Skiers from Tyrol (state)