Heinrich Messner

Heinrich "Heini" Messner (1 September 1939 – 19 October 2023)^[1] was an Austrian alpine skier. He competed at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympics and won two bronze medals: in the giant slalom in 1968 and in the downhill in 1972.^[2]

Heinrich Messner

Messner in 1968
Personal information
Born	(1939-09-01)1 September 1939 Obernberg am Brenner, Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg, Germany (now Tyrol, Austria)
Died	19 October 2023(2023-10-19) (aged 84) Austria
Occupation	Alpine skier
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Skiing career
Disciplines	Polyvalent
Club	Sportverein Tirol
World Cup debut	1967
Retired	1972
Olympics
Teams	3
Medals	2
World Championships
Teams	5
Medals	3
World Cup
Seasons	5
Wins	1
Podiums	16
Medal record Men's alpine skiing Representing  Austria World Cup race podiums Event 1st 2nd 3rd Slalom 1 2 1 Giant slalom 0 0 2 Downhill 0 7 3 Total 1 9 6 International competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 2 World Championships 0 0 3 Total 0 0 5 Olympic Games 1968 Grenoble Giant slalom 1972 Sapporo Downhill World Championships 1968 Grenoble Combined

Biography

On 5 January 1967, Messner won the first race ever held in the World Cup - a slalom. He had 15 more World Cup podium finishes later in his career. In the 1970s, he pioneered the use of short skis in the technical races. Messner retired after the 1972 season and for two years trained the Austrian women’s team. He then moved to Steinach am Brenner where he ran a ski school, a boarding house, and a ski rental service.^[2]

Messner died in October 2023, at the age of 84.^[3]

National titles

Messner won five national championships at individual senior level.^[4]

• Austria Alpine Ski Championships
  • Downhill: 1961
  • Giant slalom: 1967
  • Slalom: 1964, 1965, 1967