article by Nicholas Pucci
Ernst Haspinger is a champion in full evolution, when on February 13, 1980 presents itself to the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Recreation Area of Lake Placid where the ice casing used for the Olympic luge races is obtained. His palmares, in fact, tells of two successes in the World Cup, in Winterberg and Igls, and a very recent third place at the European Championships in Valdaora, behind the other two Italians Karl Brunner and Paul Hildgartner, and he expects to confirm his position on the podium also in the five-ring event. Which would be equivalent to a sort of consecration.
At Lake Placid you have to face a platoon of Germanswhether east or west, enough to make anyone’s wrists tremble. There is in fact Dettlef Günther (East Germany) who is none other than the title holder, won four years earlier in Innsbruck, as well as world champion in 1979 in Königssee where he defeated the same Brunner and Hildgartner, there is his compatriot Hans Rinnbronze in Tyrol and world champion in 1977 in Igls, and there’s also Anton Winkler (West Germany), which in turn brings with it three world championship podiums (silver in 1978 and bronze in 1977 and 1979). In short, highly qualified competition, to which we would add a third representative “Oriental“, Bernhard Glass, just over 22 years oldwho boasts only a bronze at the 1979 European Championships in Oberhof (behind Rinn and Günther), but who at the end of the four American heats will rise to the rank of champion.
Casa-Italia has some important cards to play at the medal tablee. In addition to Haspinger, a 23-year-old from Monguelfo, own Hildgartner is among the most anticipated protagonistsstrong not only of the 1978 world title and the success in the overall World Cup rankings in 1979, but also of the gold won in the doubles competition at the 1972 Sapporo Games, when he broke the bank paired with Walter Plaikner, as well as Brunnerworld gold medalist in the now distant 1971 in Valdaora, arrives at the key event of his career on the back of the European title he recently won, even though in Val Pusteria only Glass took part in the singles competition.
The first round will therefore take place on February 13th.and the track deserves a special mention, because, as we will see, it will be its technical design that will define the competitive event. Already used for the 1932 Winter Games, as well as for the 1949 World Championships, in 1977, next to the bobsleigh track modified in reinforced concrete and artificially refrigerated, the track for the Olympic luge race was born. And here the champions challenge each other, tackling the 1,455 metres with a 9.8% gradient that forces them into a sort of particularly difficult labyrinth between curves 11 and 13It is here that the fate of the contenders for Olympic glory will be decided.
After the first two descents (run in weather conditions bordering on regularity), Günther is firmly in the leadhaving recorded the two best times, 43″199 and 43″555. Rinn, slowed down in the first heat, is already out of contention for a medal due to a mistake at turn 12 in the second heat, as are the Soviet Dainis Bremze (who had recorded the third best time in 43″559) and the Italian Brunner, while It is Haspinger (who will win the World Cup at the end of the season) and the other East German Glass who are threatening the leader, second and third with a delay of 0″514 and 0″635 respectively.
In the third heat, Günther seemed to be able to score a third consecutive exploit, clearly faster than the competition, but right at the exit of turn 12, late in entering the finishing turn, he was thrown off by the sled.. It is true that he manages to climb back up and reach the finish line, but the time obviously penalises him heavily, making him roll down to 9th place in the provisional rankings.
A third phenomenal descent, 43″592, instead, allows Haspinger to climb into first positionand now he, the boy from Monguelfo, is in pole position for the Olympic victory, entering the final effort with a lead of 0″454 over his main challenger, Glass himself (with Hildgartner third at 0″500)who, launching himself into the gut before the two Italian sledmen, recorded the best time in the last run, 43″482.
Haspinger therefore has a reassuring advantage, almost half a second.and although at the start it would seem to have been the object of prophetic mockery by the Germans who invoke “the fall“, seems headed for gold until 150 meters from the finish line. Once again, however, curve 12 presents its bill, in this case cursed, to the champion who has the audacity to want to tame it, Haspinger’s sled overturns just as the illusions of Olympic glory of the boy from Monguelfo are shatteredcondemned to reach the finish line with the 21st and last time.
The dismay in the Italian clan is total, Hildgartner immediately goes down and in despair can only worry about reaching the finish line without making the decisive attack for the first position, taking a precious but bitter silver, 0″576 thousandths behind Bernhard Glass.. That, with Günther and Haspinger eliminated, takes, wraps and brings home an unexpected gold medal.
2024-07-04 12:12:00
#DAMNED #TURNE #COST #ERNST #HASPINGER #LUG #GOLD #LAKE #PLACID #SportHistoria
