Heinrich Messner

Heinrich Messner
Messner in 1968
Personal information
Born(1939-09-01)1 September 1939
Obernberg am Brenner, Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg, Germany (now Tyrol, Austria)
Died19 October 2023(2023-10-19) (aged 84)
Austria
OccupationAlpine skier
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Skiing career
DisciplinesPolyvalent
ClubSportverein Tirol
World Cup debut1967
Retired1972
Olympics
Teams3
Medals2
World Championships
Teams5
Medals3
World Cup
Seasons5
Wins1
Podiums16
Medal record
Men's alpine skiing
Representing  Austria
World Cup race podiums
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Slalom 1 2 1
Giant slalom 0 0 2
Downhill 0 7 3
Total 1 9 6
International competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 2
World Championships 0 0 3
Total 0 0 5
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Grenoble Giant slalom
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Sapporo Downhill
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Grenoble Combined

Heinrich "Heini" Messner (1 September 1939 – 19 October 2023)[1] was an Austrian alpine skier. He competed at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympics and won two bronze medals: in the giant slalom in 1968 and in the downhill in 1972.[2]

Biography

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On 5 January 1967, Messner won the first race ever held in the World Cup - a slalom. He had 15 more World Cup podium finishes later in his career. In the 1970s, he pioneered the use of short skis in the technical races. Messner retired after the 1972 season and for two years trained the Austrian women’s team. He then moved to Steinach am Brenner where he ran a ski school, a boarding house, and a ski rental service.[2]

Messner died in October 2023, at the age of 84.[3]

National titles

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Messner won five national championships at individual senior level.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Heini Messner (in German)
  2. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Heinrich Messner". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Heinrich "Heini" Messner ist tot". Tirol. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Österreichischer Skiverban" (in German). oesv.at. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
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