Austrian Legend Egon Zimmermann Dies

Austrian ski legend Egon Zimmermann passed away earlier this week. Born in Lech, Zimmermann celebrated his 80th birthday in February and was one of the most outstanding ski racers of the 1960s.

His greatest success was the downhill gold medal at the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck. In addition, Zimmermann won gold in giant slalom and bronze in downhill at the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix, France.

The all-rounder of the Ski Club Arlberg, whose favorite discipline was the downhill, celebrated countless FIS victories, including at the legendary venues of Kitzbuehel, Val d’Isere, Wengen and Sestriere. In the unofficial FIS world ranking list (the World Cup was only introduced in 1967), Zimmermann appears twice in second place, in 1962 and 1963. In 1963 Zimmermann was awarded the “Skier d’Or” for the most outstanding skier of the season. In 1996 he also received the “Golden Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria.” The Austrian Ski Federation also honored the downhill Olympic champion with the “Great Golden Sports Medal.”

Release courtesy of the Austrian Ski Federation.