Franz Heinzer

Franz Heinzer (born 11 April 1962) is a Swiss former alpine ski racer, who specialized in downhill. He was World Cup champion in downhill three consecutive seasons (1991, 1992, 1993), second only to Franz Klammer (4 consecutive). He won a total of 15 World Cup downhill races, fourth behind Klammer (25), Peter Müller (19) and Stephan Eberharter (18). Together with Franz Klammer, Toni Sailer, Jean Claude Killy, Karl Schranz and Stephan Eberharter, he is considered among the best downhill racers of all time. He also won the season title in Super-G in 1991.

Career Heinzer won at the world's most famous downhill venues: Kitzbühel (3x), Wengen, Val Gardena (2x), Garmisch, Val-d'Isère, Aspen, Lake Louise, and St. Anton. His victory in the downhill event at the 1991 World Championships came after three fourth places at previous championships (Schladming (1982), Bormio (1985) and Crans-Montana (1987). He didn't compete in the downhill at Vail in 1989. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, his right binding released at the starting gate, putting him out of the downhill race.

A month later, Heinzer retired from international competition at age 31 with 17 World Cup victories and 45 podiums. He now runs his own sports products company in Altdorf, and since the winter of 2004, also works as the assistant coach of Swiss national downhill team.

The Franz Heinzer Piste in the Swiss ski resort of Stoos, a FIS-approved downhill run on the Klingenstock, is named in his honour.

World Cup results

Season standings

Season titles 4 season titles: 3 downhill, 1 super G Season Discipline 1991 Downhill Super-G 1992 Downhill 1993 Downhill

Individual races 17 race victories: 15 downhill, 2 combined Season Date Location Race 1983 19 December 1982 Val Gardena, Italy Combined 1984 9 December 1983 Val-d'Isère, France Downhill 10 December 1983 Combined 1986 22 February 1986 Åre, Sweden Downhill 1987 4 January 1987 Laax, Switzerland Downhill 1988 11 March 1988 Beaver Creek, USA Downhill 1991 14 December 1990 Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 12 January 1991 Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 8 March 1991 Aspen, USA Downhill 16 March 1991 Lake Louise, Canada Downhill 1992 14 December 1991 Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 17 January 1992 Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 18 January 1992 Downhill 25 January 1992 Wengen, Switzerland Downhill 1993 10 January 1993 Garmisch, Germany Downhill 16 January 1993 St. Anton, Austria Downhill 23 January 1993 Veysonnaz, Switzerland Downhill