Franzl II: From 4 Years on the Russian Front, 1941-1945, to Standing on the Olympic Podium in 1948: An Autobiography

Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 2000. Trade paperback. Very Good. 6x0x9. Signed by Author. Gift inscription by, and signed by author. Also with brief personal note laid in, signed by author. Franz Gabl started out as a ski jumper before World War II and was 1935 Tyrolean Youth Champion and won the 1936 Austrian Youth Championship in ski jumping. In World War II, Gabl was wounded several times and spent time in Russian prison camps but survived. He turned to Alpine skiing and won a major race at Seefeld in 1947, and was nominated to the Austrian ski team. At the 1948 Sankt Moritz Olympics Gabl won a silver medal in downhill behind Henri Oreiller. Injuries caused him to miss the 1948-49 season. He came back at the end of 1949, but after a disappointing season in 1949-50, retired from racing. The 1950 World Championships were in Aspen, Colorado and after competing there, Gabl remained in the United States and eventually lived both there and in Canada. He coached the 1952 Canadian Olympic women’s team and in 1956 at Cortina coached the men. He became a successful businessman in the ski product and skiwear industry.