САМОКОВ - ЧАМКОРИЯ .

Walcher in December 1977
Personal information
Born8 December 1954
SchladmingStyriaAustria
Died22 January 1984 (aged 29)
Schladming, Styria, Austria
OccupationAlpine skier
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
 
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill
World Cup debutDecember 1972 (age 18)
RetiredMarch 1982 (age 27)
Olympics
Teams2 – (19761980)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams3 – (197619781980)
Medals1 (1 gold)
World Cup
Seasons10 – (19731982)
Wins5 – (5 DH)
Podiums13 – (13 DH)
Overall titles0 – (7th in 1978)
Discipline titles0 – (2nd DH19771978)
Medal record
 
Men's alpine skiing
Representing  Austria
World Cup race podiums
Event1st 2nd 3rd
Downhill544
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1978 GarmischDownhill

Josef "Sepp" Walcher (December 8, 1954 – January 22, 1984) was an Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer. He specialized in the downhill event and won the gold medal at the World Championships in 1978 at GarmischWest Germany.

Biography

Born in Schladming, Styria, Walcher made his World Cup debut in December 1972, two days after his 18th birthday. Two months later, he scored his first World Cup points (and podium) with a runner-up finish at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Walcher's first World Cup victory came in January 1977 at Morzine, France, his seventh podium.His best two seasons were 1977 and 1978, finishing runner-up to compatriot Franz Klammer in the downhill standings both years. A week prior to his win at the world championships in 1978, Walcher won consecutive downhills at Kitzbühel, Austria.

Walcher retired after the 1982 season with five World Cup victories and thirteen podium finishes. In 1984, he was killed at age 29 in a skiing accident at a benefit race in his hometown of Schladming. The race was a 8 km downhill where the skiers started only 30 seconds apart from each other. Walcher died after breaking his neck in a fall and hitting his head on a course marker. 

Sepp Walcher in action in 1978