Image: Erhardt
“Such a gala might not have been Rudi’s first choice, but once he sat down, he enjoyed sitting down.” Hans Pum, long-term manager at the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV), was caught up in the past yesterday at the gala night of sports in the Brucknerhaus in Linz. Exactly 35 years ago to the day, the unforgettable Rudi Nierlich won the gold medal in the giant slalom at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail. Pum: “He saved my head because after we didn’t win any medals in the downhill or super-G, I was already counted on as men’s head coach.”
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When Nierlich won his second title in the slalom three days later, the red-white-red ski world was back in order. “The fuss surrounding Rudi was of course enormous, but he didn’t let himself be fooled and was anything but a quip”, remembers Pum. At the time, the OÖN used the headline to describe the taciturnity of the rather shy ski star “Talking is silver, talking is gold”. Hans Enn, who was also at the athletes’ gala in the Brucknerhaus yesterday, probably has less fond memories of the 1989 World Cup in Vail. The Salzburger was after one “Quick Heal” went into the giant slalom with number two after a torn cruciate ligament and had to give up after a few goals. While Nierlich was celebrated as a double world champion after winning gold in the slalom, Enn was on the operating table in Innsbruck.
From the archive:
- In memory of Rudi Nierlich: He took hearts by storm
- “It pulled the rug out from under all of us”
- St. Wolfgang thinks of Rudi Nierlich
His longest interview
Pum was there twice more in the ÖSV anorak at a world championship in Vail: in 1999, as alpine boss, he experienced Hermann Maier’s triumph (gold in downhill and super-G), and in 2015 the Mühlviertler was there as ÖSV sports director, as Anna Fenninger (today: Veith) won Super-G and giant slalom gold and Marcel Hirscher won a world title in the combination, which was actually only one for the top star “Consolation prize” was.
Although he avoided crowds whenever possible, Rudi Nierlich was at least a star guest at the gala night in Linz’s Brucknerhaus. On February 8, 1991, according to the OÖN report, he performed there on stage “the longest interview of his life”. Shortly before, he had defended his world title in giant slalom at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach. Many media outlets wrote at the time that Rudi is now “immortal” be. They were wrong: On May 18, 1991, the then 25-year-old was fatally injured in a car accident in his home on Lake Wolfgangsee.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.