Year in review: who the sports world mourned

On January 12th, the Portuguese motorcycle pilot Paulo Goncalves had a fatal accident at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia after a fall. The 40-year-old made his Dakar debut in 2006 and was part of the rally for the 13th time. He made it into the top ten four times and came second five years ago.

Theodor “Turl” Wagner died on January 21st at the age of 92. Wagner finished third with the national team in 1954. Two days after Wanger, his team colleague at the time, Alfred “Fredi” Körner, died at the age of 93.

Bryant dies in a helicopter crash

On January 27, the death of the former basketball star Bryant caused horror and sadness. Bryant is considered one of the best players in the history of the North American National Basketball League (NBA). He won five NBA championships with the LA Lakers in his 20-year career and won gold with the US team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

ÖSV mourns Walter Hubmann

On March 5th, the former ÖSV alpine ski trainer Walter Hubmann died after a long, serious illness. The 62-year-old Styrian was known as a “ski globetrotter”. As a women’s downhill trainer in Austria, the Murtaler led “Speed ​​Queen” Renate Götschl to her first world championship title and to winning the first downhill ball in 1997.

In 2001 Hubmann switched to the ÖSV men and celebrated successes there with Stephan Eberharter, Hermann Maier and Hans Knauß. He then worked for the Croatian Association for four years as head of downhill and contributed to Ivica Kostelic winning the overall World Cup. Hubmann also worked in Bulgaria, Switzerland, Hungary and Georgia.

Motorsport legend Moss dies

Former racing driver Stirling Moss died at the age of 90. The British motorsport legend won 16 Formula 1 Grand Prix between 1951 and 1961 as a teammate of the Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and was second four times in the World Championship. Moss, who was also successful as a sports car driver, is considered the best Formula 1 driver who never became world champion.

Long-time KAC goalkeeper Robert Mack also died in 2020. The 61-year-old died on July 4th after a serious illness. With Mack as the goalkeeper, the KAC won seven championship titles in the 1980s. From 1977 to 1991, the native Völkermarkt player played 401 games in the top Austrian league for the “Rotjacken”. In the national team, he brought it to 83 international games, six World Cup appearances and one Olympic tournament in 1988 in Calgary.

Slalom Olympics winner Jagge tot

On July 8, the wife of the Norwegian slalom Olympic champion Finn Christian Jagge announced his death at the age of only 54. “He was a unique athlete. He was a legend in alpine sports, said Jagge’s former team-mate Kjetil Andre Aamodt. Jagge made his World Cup debut in Aare, Sweden in 1984 and won a slalom for the first time in 1991. In 2000, he retired and had.” subsequently also worked as a trainer for the Norwegian alpine women.

The highlight of his active career was winning Olympic gold in 1992 in Albertville, France, when he relegated the Italian giant slalom Olympic champion Alberto Tomba to second place in the slalom. Bronze went to the Austrian Michael Tritscher.

Switzerland mourns De Agostini

On November 22nd, the former Swiss ski racer Doris De Agostini died at the age of 62 after a brief serious illness. The downhill specialist competed in the World Cup from 1976 and 1983 and won a total of eight races. De Agostini took part in the Olympic Games twice in Innsbruck in 1976 and in Lake Placid in 1980 and won the bronze medal in the downhill at the 1978 World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In 1983, at the age of 25, she retired at the peak – as the winner of the Downhill World Cup and as a 19-time podium driver. In 1983 she was also voted Swiss Sportswoman of the Year.

Football world weeps for Maradona

Argentine football legend Maradona, 1986 world champion, died of cardiac arrest on November 25 at the age of 60. The Argentine government proclaimed three days of national mourning, messages of sadness and recognition of the unparalleled life of Maradona came from all over the world.

After he scored a goal with his hand in the quarter-finals against England in the 1986 World Cup, which still counted, and then thought it was the “hand of God”, the whole world knew him. It will remain one of the most historic scenes in world football.

Maradona was considered one of the best footballers in history. In 1986 the excellent technician led Argentina to the second world title in its history in Mexico. With SSC Napoli, Maradona won the Italian championship and the UEFA Cup twice. After his active career, the Argentine was also team boss in his home country, but off the field, the eccentric superstar also made headlines with excessive drug and alcohol consumption. Again and again, the superstar of yore had to struggle with health problems after the end of his active career. In 2000, doctors diagnosed a heart condition caused by cocaine use.

Farewell to Paolo Rossi

Former soccer world champion Paolo Rossi from Italy was only 64 years old. Rossi, who led Italy to the 1982 World Cup in the final against Germany, died on December 10 of an incurable disease. Rossi scored a 1-0 win against Germany in the World Cup, scored a total of six goals in the last three games of the tournament in Spain and became a football legend in his home country. In 1982 he also received the Ballon d’Or, which at the time went to the best footballer in Europe.

“Otto Maximal” died at the age of 88

The former coach of the national soccer teams of Austria and Croatia, Otto Baric, died on December 13th at the age of 88. Baric was in charge of the Austrian selection from April 1999 to November 2001, and in his home country he was national coach from 2002 to 2004.

Baric shaped Austria’s football scene for around 30 years. With success, charisma and legendary sagas. “Otto Maximal”, named after his inflationary use of the superlative, won seven championships with three different teams in the upper house and was also twice in the finals of European Cup competitions with Rapid (1985) and Austria Salzburg (1994).

Baric will be remembered by Austrian fans not least because of his interviews. In addition to being a football expert, he was also a self-marketer. His almost lovingly cared for “maximum” (“I need maximally willing and maximally ambitious national players”) became a household word among local fans in the 80s and 90s.

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