March 19, 2024

Snowboarding: 70-year-old Flying Man: Walter Steiner celebrates his birthday today

Snowboarding: 70-year-old Flying Man: Walter Steiner celebrates his birthday today

Ski jump

Flying Man turns 70: Walter Steiner celebrates his birthday today

Walter Steiner celebrates his 70th birthday on Monday, February 15th. Toggenburger was a prominent Swiss winter sports fan. In 1972, he missed the Olympic victory by only ten points.

Walter Steiner on a ski trip in Planica

Photo: Keystone (March 17, 1974)

Until Simon Ammann came along, Walter Steiner was the measure of all things snowboarding in the country. Nobody has ever flown as far as Tugenberger in the 1970s, which is why it was called “Vogelmench”.

Caper weather and world record

Steiner, like Oman later, would also be an Olympic champion. In Sapporo he dominates training. But luck was not on his side in the competition on Big Hill on February 11, 1972. After half the workload, Steiner was only in thirteenth place due to the choppy weather. However, in the second round, Wildhauser reprized the master and jumped 103.5 meters.

A ceremonial reception after winning an Olympic silver medal in Wildhouse.

A ceremonial reception after winning an Olympic silver medal in Wildhouse.

Photo: Keystone (Feb 19, 1972)

This mark was enough to win the Olympic Games. However, the width was later corrected to 103.0 m. Under pressure from the German Democratic Republic, it was later said. So pole Wojciech Fortuna got the gold. Steiner won the silver with the smallest possible gap of 0.1 points.

Additional Class Ski Flyer

Steiner finished the Four Hills Championship twice – 1973/74 and 1976/77 – in second place overall. But the trained wood sculptor was the best in figure skating: two-time world champion, one-time world champion and with a distance of 169 meters – founded on March 15, 1974 – the world record holder.

Walter Steiner on home leave in 2019

Walter Steiner on home leave in 2019

Photo: Adi Lippuner

Since Steiner was a relatively difficult athlete, physical complaints gradually surfaced. The cruciate ligament became increasingly painful and he had to undergo several knee surgeries. At Ski Flight Week 1978 in Bad Mitterndorf, he took part in his last big leap. The brilliant career came to a respectable conclusion in fifth place.

The effects of ignorance

Even as a stimulant, Steiner criticized the larger hops that were designed for the scene. For long range hunting should result in world records. A St. Gallen resident described the jumping hills as “traces of irrationality”.

After the end of his career, Steiner remained active in figure skating. He first moved to the Federal Republic of Germany as a service man. He later became a coach for the club in the USA.

Iron also congratulates Carl

Steiner has lived in Fallon, Sweden since 1990. He became a solid cross-country skater and won a full set of medals at the Unofficial World Championships in Asiago in 2013 and also became the third world champion.

On his 70th birthday, Steiner received many congratulations from Switzerland, including from Karl Fresner, a successful former coach of the Swiss Alps.

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