A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. The award concept arose in the military, initially by simple recognition of military rank, and later by decorations for admission to military orders dating back to medieval times.

Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have been awarded in the arts, for example, by the Royal Danish Academy, usually as a symbol of an award to give an outstanding student some financial freedom. Others offer only the prestige of the award. Many organizations now award gold medals either annually or extraordinarily, including UNESCO and various academic societies.

While most gold medals are solid gold, notable exceptions are gold-plated and often silver-gilt, like those of the Olympic Games, the Lorentz Medal, the United States Congressional Gold Medal (displayed to the right) and the Nobel Prize medal. Nobel Prize medals consist of 18 carat green gold plated with 24 carat gold. Before 1980 they were struck in 23 carat gold.

Military origins

Before the establishment of standard military awards, e.g., the Medal of Honor, it was common practice to have a medal specially created to provide national recognition for a significant military or naval victory or accomplishment. In the United States, Congress would enact a resolution asking the President to reward those responsible. The commanding officer would receive a gold medal and his officers silver medals. Other countries similarly honored their military and naval victors in a similar fashion.

Competition medals

Medals have historically been given as prizes in various types of competitive activities, especially athletics.

Traditionally, medals are made of the following metals:

# Gold (or another yellow metal, e.g., brass) # Silver (or another grey metal, e.g., steel) # Bronze

These metals designate the first three Ages of Man in Greek mythology: the Golden Age, when men lived among the gods, the Silver Age, where youth lasted a hundred years, and the Bronze Age, the era of heroes.

The custom of awarding the sequence of gold, silver, and bronze medals for the first three highest achievers dates from at least the 19th century, with the National Association of Amateur Athletes in the United States awarding such medals as early as 1884.

This standard was adopted for Olympic competition at the 1904 Summer Olympics. At the 1896 event, silver was awarded to winners and bronze to runners-up, while at 1900 other prizes were given, not medals.

==Olympic Games== At the modern Olympic Games, winners of a sporting discipline receive a gold medal in recognition of their achievement. At the Ancient Olympic Games only one winner per event was crowned with kotinos which was an olive wreath made of wild olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia. Aristophanes in Plutus makes a sensible remark why victorious athletes are crowned with wreath made of wild olive instead of gold. Herodotus describes a story that explains why there were only a few Greek men at the Battle of Thermopylae since ''"all other men were participating in the Olympic Games"'' and that the prize for the winner was ''"an olive-wreath"''. When Tigranes, an Armenian general learned this, he uttered to his leader a most noble saying: ''"Good heavens! what kind of men are these against whom you have brought us to fight? Men who do not compete for possessions, but for honour"''. Hence medals were not awarded at the ancient Olympic Games. At the 1896 Summer Olympics, however, winners received a silver medal and the second place finisher received a bronze medal. In 1900, most winners received cups or trophies instead of medals.

The last series of Olympic medals to be made of solid gold were awarded at the 1912 Olympic games in Sweden. Olympic Gold medals are required to be made from at least 92.5% silver, and must be plated with a minimum of 6 grams of gold. All Olympic medals must be at least 60mm in diameter and 3mm thick.

Minting the medals is the responsibility of the Olympic host. From 1928 through 1968 the design was always the same: the obverse showed a generic design by Florentine artist Giuseppe Cassioli with text naming the host city; the reverse showed another generic design of an Olympic champion.

From the 1972 Summer Olympics through 2000, Cassioli's design (or a slight modification) remained on the obverse with a custom design by the host city on the reverse. Noting that Cassioli's design showed a Roman amphitheater for what originally were Greek games, a new obverse design was commissioned for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. For the 2008 Beijing Olympics medals had a diameter of 70mm and were 6mm thick, with the front displaying a winged figure of victory and the back showed a Beijing Olympics symbol surrounded by an inset jade circle.

Winter Olympics medals have been of more varied design. The silver and bronze medals have always borne the same designs.

Other gold medal awards

The award of a gold medal, often coupled with the award of silver and bronze medals to the next place finishers, has been adopted in other competitive fields, such as music and writing. Typically bronze medals are awarded only to third place, but in some contests there is some variety, such as International barbershop music contests where bronze medals are awarded for third, fourth, and fifth place.

References

External links

Medals: Going For Gold! - Minerals Council of Australia

Royal Canadian Mint Interactive 3D Tour of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Medals

Category:Numismatics Category:Sports terminology Category:Award items Category:Olympic medals

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Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
Name	Kurt Angle
Names	Kurt Angle
Height
Weight
Birth date	December 09, 1968
Birth place	Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Resides	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Billed	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Trainer	Dave SchultzDory Funk, Jr.Tom Prichard
Debut	October 15, 1998
Retired	}}

Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion in his fifth reign. He is also known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWF/E).

Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion. After graduating, he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling. Kurt Angle is also one of only four people in the world to complete the Grand Slam in amateur wrestling which is the junior nationals, the NCAAs, the World Championships and the Olympics. He is also one of only four Americans to win the Krasnoyarsk. He was named the greatest shoot wrestler and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time by USA Wrestling.

Initially turning down an offer to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Angle signed a multi-year contract with the company in 1998. His first big push in the company was in February 2000, when he held both the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship at the same time. A few months later he won the King of the Ring tournament. Not long after, Angle began pursuing the WWF Championship. He continued to be a part of main event matches until August 2006, when Angle was granted a release from his contract. Throughout his tenure in the company, he was a six-time world champion (four-time WWF/E Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and WCW Champion), he also held the United States Championship, Intercontinental Championship, European Championship, Hardcore Championship and WWE Tag Team Champion once each. In addition, he was the winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2000, the tenth Triple Crown Champion, and the fifth Grand Slam Champion. In addition, he is one of two wrestlers (Edge being the other) to have held every currently active male championship in the WWE.

After leaving WWE, Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he became the second wrestler in TNA to win TNA's Triple Crown and the first man to hold all three TNA championships simultaneously. While in TNA, his real-life wife Karen began accompanying him to the ring and playing a part in his on-screen storylines. Angle has also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as Inoki Genome Federation, where he held their version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In addition, he is a five-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history—being the only one to hold all the required titles at once (while also holding the IWGP Title, making him a quadruple champion for a brief time).

Angle is the only wrestler in history to be a Triple Crown winner in both WWE and TNA. He is the first man to have held the WWE Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in his career. Angle is also a two time King of the Mountain winner, winning at the 2007 and 2009 Slammiversary PPV event, making him the only wrestler to have been both King of the Ring (WWE) and King of the Mountain (TNA). Between WWE, TNA, and Japan, Angle has won 18 total championships. In 2010 the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Angle the Wrestler of the Decade of the 2000s.

Amateur wrestling career

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Angle started amateur wrestling at the age of six. He attended Mt. Lebanon High School, where he won varsity letters in football and wrestling and was an All-State linebacker. He went undefeated on the freshman wrestling team at Mt. Lebanon High and qualified for the state wrestling tournament his sophomore year. Angle also placed third in the state wrestling tournament as a junior and was the 1987 Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion as a senior.

Upon graduating from high school, Angle attended the Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he continued to wrestle at an amateur level. He was a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion, national runner-up in 1991, and a three-time NCAA Division I All-American. In addition, Angle was the 1987 USA Junior Freestyle champion, a two-time USA Senior Freestyle champion, and the 1988 USA International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles Junior World Freestyle champion.

After graduating from college, Angle continued to wrestle. In 1995, he won a gold medal at the World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. Following this victory, Angle began preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympics under Dave Schultz at the Pennsylvanian Foxcatcher Club, training between eight and ten hours a day. In January 1996, not long after Angle began training at the club, Schultz was murdered by John Eleuthère du Pont, the sponsor of Schultz's team of Olympic prospectives. As a result, Angle quit Eleuthère du Pont's team, searched for new sponsors, and joined the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club in Schultz's memory.

Angle faced further hardships while taking part in the 1996 Olympic Trials, when he suffered a severe neck injury, fracturing two of his cervical vertebrae, herniating two discs, and pulling four muscles. Nonetheless, Angle won the trials and then spent the subsequent five months resting and rehabilitating. By the Olympics, Angle was able to compete, albeit with several pain-reducing injections in his neck. In the fall of 2006, Angle stated that he temporarily became addicted to the analgesic Vicodin after injuring his neck. He won his gold medal in the heavyweight (90–100 kg; 198–220 lb) weight class despite his injury, defeating the Iranian Abbas Jadidi by officials' decision after the competitors wrestled to an eight minute, one-one draw. The bout saw Jadidi earn a point after two minutes and 46 seconds by turning Angle, and Angle earning a point of his own with a takedown after three minutes and eleven seconds. The officials' decision was protested by Jadidi.

Shortly after his victory, Angle turned down a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In the same year, he became a marketing representative for Protos Foods, the manufacturers of OSTRIM, an ostrich meat based foodstuff.

Professional wrestling career

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996)

On October 26, 1996, Angle was convinced by Shane Douglas to attend the taping of an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) event named ''High Incident''. He provided guest commentary during a match between Taz and Little Guido, but left the building after Raven "crucified" The Sandman by attaching him to a cross using barbed wire. Angle, shocked by the controversial imagery and afraid that his career prospects would be damaged if he was associated with the incident, threatened to sue ECW owner Paul Heyman if he was shown on television in the same broadcast as the stunt.

In 1997, following the incident, Angle worked for a year as a sportscaster on Pittsburgh's local Fox affiliate WPGH-TV. He also did a commercial for Pittsburgh-based pizza chain Pizza Outlet.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1998–2006)

Debut and various rivalries (1998–2000)

In October 1998, Angle began a career in professional wrestling and signed an eight-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was assigned to the Power Pro Wrestling developmental territory in Memphis, Tennessee, where he began training. Angle's first appearance on WWF television was on the March 7, 1999 episode of ''Sunday Night Heat'', where he took part in an angle with Tiger Ali Singh. This angle involved Singh paying him money to blow his nose on the American flag. Angle instead blew his nose on Singh's flag and fought him off. His first official WWF match was a dark match victory over Brian Christopher on April 11, 1999. In the following months, he wrestled in house shows and other dark matches in preparation for his televised debut.

After several weeks of vignettes, Angle made his in-ring debut on November 14, 1999 at the Survivor Series, defeating Shawn Stasiak. In his initial push, he remained undefeated for several weeks, eventually losing to the debuting Tazz at the Royal Rumble. Angle's television character was an "American hero" gimmick based on his gold medal win at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In his promos, Angle presented himself as a role model and stressed the need to work hard to realize one's dreams, stressing the ''3 I''s, "Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence". In his promos and ring entrances, Angle would always wear replicas of his gold medals around his neck. Despite standing for many principles that are associated with "good guy" wrestlers, Angle's character was arrogant, talked down to the audience, and behaved as if he thought he was better than the fans, leading to him quickly becoming a villain. Angle won both the WWF European Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship in February 2000, billing himself as the "Eurocontinental Champion". He dropped both of his titles without ever conceding a fall in a two falls Triple Threat match with Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 2000. The match had been agreed to on Angle's behalf by his mentor, Bob Backlund.

Pursuit of the WWF Championship (2000–2001)

Throughout mid-2000, Angle and Edge and Christian ("Team ECK") feuded with Too Cool and Rikishi, with Angle defeating Rikishi in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament. He went on to feud with Triple H after a love triangle between Angle, Triple H, and Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon developed. As a change to the intended storyline of Stephanie turning on her husband and going with Angle, he lost to Triple H at Unforgiven. Following his feud with Triple H, Angle received another push and began pursuing the WWF Championship, defeating The Rock at No Mercy, after interference from Rikishi. With his victory over the Rock, Angle became the first wrestler to have won both an Olympic Gold medal and the World title. Angle retained the WWF Championship for the rest of the year in matches with The Undertaker at Survivor Series and in a six way Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.

After beating Triple H at the Royal Rumble, Angle eventually lost the title to The Rock at No Way Out, he held the WWF Championship for four months. He then feuded with Chris Benoit, whom he defeated at WrestleMania X-Seven but lost to him at Backlash in an Ultimate Submission match; Benoit defeated Angle four falls to three in sudden-death overtime. Continuing the feud, Angle again defeated Benoit in a two out of three falls match at Judgment Day. Benoit pinned Angle after an ''Angle Slam'' in a "Pinfalls Only" fall, and then Angle made Benoit submit with the ankle lock in the "Submissions Only" fall. Angle won the third fall, a Ladder match, with the help of Edge and Christian.

The Invasion; Team Angle (2001–2002)

When World Championship Wrestling and ECW formed The Alliance and invaded the WWF in mid-2001 (dubbed as "The Invasion"), Angle became a face character and began a storyline where he joined forces with WWF Champion Steve Austin to repel them. At Invasion, Angle and Austin captained a team of five WWF superstars against five handpicked members of the Alliance. As part of the angle, Team WWF lost to Team Alliance when Austin turned on his team to join The Alliance. At the close of the match, Austin nailed Angle with a Stone Cold Stunner, causing him to get pinned by the other team. After winning and losing the WCW Championship, WCW United States Championship, and the WWF Hardcore Championship in matches with Alliance members, Angle was booked to defeat Austin in a SummerSlam rematch for his second WWF Championship at Unforgiven. He dropped the title back to Austin on the October 8, 2001 episode of ''Raw'' when WWF Commissioner William Regal joined The Alliance and cost Angle the match. As part of the storyline, Angle subsequently turned into a villain again and joined the Alliance himself; during a WrestleMania X-Seven rematch between Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon, he interfered seemingly to aid Vince but instead struck the members of team WWF with a steel chair. Angle, however, ultimately returned to the WWF side by enabling The Rock to defeat Austin in a "Winner Takes All" match between the WWF and The Alliance at Survivor Series. He remained a villain by claiming sole responsibility for the destruction of The Alliance.

After dropping the WCW United States Championship to Edge, the duo were booked into a lengthy feud. During this feud, Edge started the "you suck" chants every time Angle entered a WWE ring, usually in tune with Angle's entrance music. The chants followed Angle throughout the rest of his WWE career. In the course of the feud, the naturally balding Angle lost a "hair versus hair" match to Edge at Judgment Day, and his head was shaved bald. Angle has retained the shaved head since. Following the loss of his hair, Angle's storyline called for him to wear a wig and insult bald people, leading to a feud with Hollywood Hogan, who stripped Angle of his wig. Angle later scored a submission victory over Hogan at King of the Ring.

In October 2002, Angle became the fifth WWE Grand Slam Championship winner when he won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Chris Benoit at No Mercy 2002. Their team was successful but problematic, as the two bickered constantly, with Benoit often fed up with Angle's over-the-top antics. After dropping the title to Edge and Rey Mysterio on an edition of ''SmackDown!'', Angle won his third WWE Championship at Armageddon, defeating The Big Show, with the help of Brock Lesnar. While still in his third reign, Angle began a new storyline when he gained the services of manager Paul Heyman and "Team Angle".

Feuding with Lesnar and Guerrero (2003–2004)

He then began feuding with Brock Lesnar, who had won the 2003 Royal Rumble match, after Lesnar claimed to be the new top superstar on ''SmackDown!''. Angle dropped the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX to Lesnar.

On April 11, 2003, Angle underwent neck surgery performed by Dr. Hae-Dong Jho to repair nerve and spinal damage, calcium buildup, bone spurs, and intervertebral disc problems. Rather than have Dr. Jho remove the afflicted discs and fuse his vertebrae together, Angle opted for a less conventional surgery where Jho removed only the spurs and selected portions of the discs. The alternative surgery reduced Angle's rehabilitation time from one year to three months. He returned as a face character in June. Shortly after returning, Angle defeated Lesnar and Big Show in a Triple Threat match at Vengeance to regain the WWE Championship. During this time, Lesnar seemed to become an ally to Angle. Lesnar, however, secretly worked with Vince McMahon on a plot against Angle, turning on him during a steel cage match between himself and McMahon in which Angle was the special guest referee, and stated that he never tolerated losing the belt to him at Vengeance. After retaining the title in a singles bout at SummerSlam by making Brock Lesnar tap out to the ankle lock, he dropped the title to Lesnar in an Iron Man match on an episode of ''SmackDown!''. Angle then formed a five-man team to rival Lesnar's team at the Survivor Series, with Angle's team coming out victorious.

Angle then got involved in a feud with Eddie Guerrero. Initially being a firm friend and ally to Eddie during the latter's feud with his nephew Chavo, Angle turned on him when it was announced that Guerrero, not Angle, was the number one contender for the WWE Championship, thus becoming a villain once again. At No Way Out, Guerrero defeated Lesnar to win the WWE Championship, and Angle won a match to become new number one contender. After losing to Guerrero at WrestleMania XX, Angle began to once again suffer from legitimate neck problems. As a response, he was made the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown!, with his absence from the ring attributed to injuries suffered after Big Show chokeslammed him off a ledge. Angle continued his feud with Guerrero throughout 2004. He cost Guerrero the WWE championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a Texas Bull Rope match at The Great American Bash by participating in the worked finish; Angle came down to the ring and showed a replay where JBL's shoulder hit the corner pad before Guerrero's hand. Angle was later fired by Vince McMahon as General Manager in July 2004, after discovering that he was faking his handicapped status.

In November 2004, Angle initiated the ''Kurt Angle Invitational'', a worked weekly segment where "hometown heroes" (plants), challenged him to a match, with Angle promising to give his Olympic gold medal to the first person to last more than three minutes in the ring with him. The Invitational was won by Eugene in July 2005 starting a new angle for both men. As a result, Angle faced Eugene at SummerSlam, defeating him by making him tap out to the ankle lock.

On November 4, 2004, episode of ''SmackDown!'', taped in St. Louis, Missouri, during an unscripted segment of ''Tough Enough'', Angle challenged the finalists through a squat thrust competition. Chris Nawrocki won the competition, and the prize Nawrocki won was a match against Angle. Angle quickly took Nawrocki down, breaking his ribs, then made him tap out with a ''neck crank''. After Angle defeated Nawrocki, Angle challenged the other finalists. Daniel Puder, an American professional mixed martial artist, accepted Angle's challenge. Angle and Puder wrestled for position, with Angle taking Puder down, however, in the process, Puder locked Angle in a ''kimura lock''. With Puder on his back and Angle's arm locked in the ''kimura'', Angle attempted a pin, one of two referees in the ring, Jim Korderas, quickly counted three to end the bout, despite the fact that Puder's shoulders weren't fully down on the mat, bridging up at two. Puder later claimed he would have snapped Angle's arm, thus making Angle tap out on national television, if Korderas had not ended the match. Dave Meltzer and Dave Scherer gave these following comments:

"The Wrestling Machine" and departure (2005–2006)

In January 2005, Angle took part in the Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Shawn Michaels, who had returned to the ring to eliminate in retaliation. After mocking Michaels by defeating his former tag team partner, Marty Jannetty, and attacking former manager, Sherri Martel, Angle defeated Michaels in an interpromotional match at WrestleMania 21, which won Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Match of the Year Award. He continued to feud with Michaels upon being drafted from ''SmackDown!'' to ''Raw'' in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery, losing to Michaels at Vengeance. Angle later challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven, where Angle won the match by disqualification, thus not winning the title. Angle also challenged Cena again in a Triple Threat match along with Michaels at Taboo Tuesday, in a losing effort.

Angle returned to the SmackDown! brand in January 2006, where he was pushed to gain the vacant World Heavyweight Championship in a twenty man battle royal, turning face in the process for the first time since 2004. He retained the title against Mark Henry at the Royal Rumble. Shortly after the match, The Undertaker made his return and challenged Angle for the title. Angle retained the title in a match with Undertaker at No Way Out before dropping it to Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat match, which also included Randy Orton, at WrestleMania 22.

At Judgment Day, Angle was defeated by Mark Henry via countout. On May 29, 2006, Angle was drafted to the newly created ECW brand. It was during this time that he acquired the nickname "The Wrestling Machine," wearing a mouth guard and quickly squashing opponents. Upon coming to ''ECW'', he issued an open challenge for One Night Stand, which was accepted by Orton. Angle defeated Orton at One Night Stand, later losing to him in a rematch at Vengeance. Angle appeared sporadically on WWE television throughout mid 2006. On August 25, 2006, Angle was granted an early release from his WWE contract because of health reasons. Angle stated in the ''Kurt Angle: Champion'' documentary DVD that he asked for his release from WWE because Angle couldn't take time off and he was working hurt, severely on some occasions. He also states that when he quit, WWE lost their very top talent, as he was at the very top of the payroll.

Japan (2007–2009)

On February 18, 2007, Angle made his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata to defeat fellow TNA wrestler Travis Tomko and fellow WWE alumnus Giant Bernard.

Angle was booked to face Brock Lesnar in a champion versus champion match for the Inoki Genome Federation on June 29, 2007, and defeated him by submission for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and he challenged him to an MMA fight. On December 19, 2007, Angle defended the IWGP World Title successfully against Kendo Kashin.

On January 4, 2008, Angle made his third successful IWGP World Championship defense when he defeated Yuji Nagata at the New Japan Pro Wrestling supershow ''Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome'' by forcing Nagata to tap out to the ankle lock. On February 17, 2008, Angle lost the IWGP title to Shinsuke Nakamura in a unification match, thus ending the IWGP championship controversy. Kurt Angle is not recognized as an IWGP Heavyweight Champion by New Japan. He returned in August during the G1 Climax in two special tag matches A.J. Styles as his opponent with Shinsuke Nakamura and Masahiro Chono as Angle's partners and Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinjiro Otani as Styles' partners. Angle's team won both matches.

He returned on January 4, 2009, at ''Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome'' in a special eight man tag match, where he, Kevin Nash, Chono, and Riki Chōshū faced G.B.H. (Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson, Takashi Iizuka and Tomohiro Ishii), with Angle getting the win for his team. Angle then went on to defeat Bernard in a singles match at New Japan's ISM tour on February 15. After Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Nakamura in the main event, Angle challenged him for the title, which Tanahashi accepted. Tanahashi defeated Angle on April 5 at New Japan's ''Resolution '09'' to retain the title.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2006–present)

Debut and World Championships (2006–2007)

A few weeks after his WWE contract expired, Angle signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The new signing was viewed by some as a promotion not having concern for the health of a wrestler. On September 24, 2006, during the closing segment of No Surrender, TNA President Dixie Carter announced that TNA Wrestling had signed Angle to a contract, with Jim Cornette introducing video footage of Angle training in a six-sided TNA ring. On the December 28, 2006 episode of ''TNA Impact!'', this was announced as the "Moment of the Year" for TNA.

Angle made his TNA debut on October 19, confronting Samoa Joe after Joe refused to relinquish the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt that, according to the storyline, he had stolen from Jeff Jarrett. The two men ended up fighting while Jarrett took the title back. Angle was then the special enforcer for the Title vs. Career match between Jarrett and Sting at Bound for Glory, but, as part of the worked finish, he took out referee Rudy Charles and assumed the referee's role for the rest of the match-up. Angle's first match in TNA took place on the November 16 airing of ''Impact!'', where he was booked to defeat Abyss with the ankle lock and be attacked after the match by Samoa Joe. At Genesis, Angle defeated Samoa Joe, ending Joe's undefeated push.

At Final Resolution, Angle was booked to defeat Samoa Joe in a thirty minute Iron Man match 3–2 to earn a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds, which he lost to Christian Cage after interference from Tomko and Scott Steiner. This led to a feud between Angle and Steiner, with Angle pinning Steiner at Destination X. After Angle defeated Steiner, he was picked to lead a team of four other wrestlers against a team of Christian Cage's choice in a Lethal Lockdown match at April's Lockdown. Angle chose Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett for Team Angle, while Cage chose A.J. Styles, Scott Steiner, Tomko, and Abyss. The man who gained the winning pinfall would become the number one contender to Christian Cage's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Team Angle was victorious after Jeff Jarrett hit Abyss with a gimmicked guitar full of thumbtacks and allowed Sting to score the pin. Cage was set to defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting and Angle in a triple threat match at Sacrifice. The day of the PPV, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the owners of the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team Championships, stripped Cage of the title and Team 3D of the tag team title. NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich stated the reason was that Cage refused to defend the NWA Title at NWA live events. At the PPV event, Cage, still holding the physical NWA Championship belt, defended what was billed as the "World Heavyweight Championship" against Angle and Sting. Angle was the victor of said contest by making Sting submit, who had technically just pinned Cage, and was announced as the new "World Heavyweight Champion". The ''Impact!'' following the event, Angle came to the ring with a new championship belt, and announced he was the new "TNA World Heavyweight Champion". Afterward, Cage and Sting came to the ring and the three began to argue over who was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Due to the controversial finish to their match at Sacrifice, the title was declared vacant by Cornette. A tournament was held for the title which culminated in a King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 17, 2007. At the event, Angle became the TNA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Cage, Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, and Chris Harris. He then attacked Joe after denying a request for a handshake, reigniting their feud.

At Victory Road, newly-crowned X Division Champion Samoa Joe teamed with Kurt Angle to face TNA Tag Team Champions Team 3D, with the stipulation that if a wrestler pinned the other opponent, he won his championship. As part of the planned outcome of the match, Joe pinned Brother Ray of Team 3D to win both tag team belts, which he held by himself. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', Joe (now holding the X Division and Tag Team Championships, with Angle holding the TNA and (IGF recognized) IWGP Heavyweight Championships) challenged Angle to a match at Hard Justice where it was winner take all. While illustrating how he would take away everything important in Angle's life, Joe brought Angle's wife Karen into the fray, as she demanded a divorce. During the match, however, Karen turned on Joe and aided her husband. As part of his next push, Angle won, gaining all the championships and becoming the second Triple Crown champion in TNA and the first to hold all three titles at the same time. Including the IWGP Title, this made Angle a quadruple champion. Angle, however, dropped both the X Division and Tag Team Titles to Jay Lethal and Team Pacman, respectively, at No Surrender. At Bound for Glory, Angle lost the TNA World Title to Sting, but won it back on the October 25 edition of ''Impact!''.

The Angle Alliance (2007–2008)

Angle then joined forces with A.J. Styles and Tomko as The Angle Alliance at Turning Point against Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. Styles had planned for Christian's Coalition and The Angle Alliance to team up together, but Christian Cage demanded to be the leader of The Angle Alliance after Cage denied Angle's request of being his "lackey". At Final Resolution, Angle successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Cage due to interference from Styles and again at Against All Odds with help from Tomko. At Lockdown, Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Samoa Joe after being pinned.

The Main Event Mafia (2008–2009)

After suffering a neck injury, Angle was out of action. In the storyline, he returned to ''Impact!'' to ask his estranged wife Karen to reunite with him, but she declined his offer. Later that night, after Styles suffered a beating at the hands of Team 3D, Booker T, and Tomko, Angle added to the mugging by hitting Styles with a steel chair. At Slammiversery, Angle lost to Styles, being pinned after interference from Karen. At Victory Road, Angle and Team 3D won a six-man tag team Full Metal Mayhem match defeating the team of Christian Cage, Rhino, and Styles. At Hard Justice, Angle once again lost to Styles – this time in a Last Man Standing match. The feud continued on the next edition of ''Impact!'', with Styles winning Angle's gold medal in a mock amateur wrestling match. The next week Angle challenged Styles to a ladder match for the Olympic Gold Medal. As they both stood on the top of the ladder, the arena went dark and Jeff Jarrett's music played. When the lights turned on, Styles had a guitar and performed an ''Acoustic Equalizer'' on Angle to win the match. Angle began a feud with Jarrett after No Surrender when Jarrett hit Angle with his guitar, a match that involved him, Christian Cage and Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the October 2 edition of ''Impact'', Mick Foley announced that he would be the special enforcer for Angle's match with Jarrett at Bound for Glory IV. Angle lost to Jarrett in this match, being pinned after taking the mandible claw from Foley and a guitar shot and Stroke from Jarrett. He started attacking other superstars backstage in order to get a rematch against Jarrett. On the first HD ''Impact!'', Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Sting started a new stable of legends called The Main Event Mafia. Scott Steiner joined the group the following week. Angle then defeated Abyss at Turning Point in a Falls Count Anywhere match. After weeks of torturing Jeff Jarrett to give him a rematch, Jarrett said that if Angle could defeat Rhino at the second Final Resolution of 2008, with Mick Foley as the Special Enforcer, he would grant it. Angle defeated Rhino to earn a rematch with Jarrett at Genesis after Al Snow made a surprise appearance and distracted Foley for Angle to cheat. At Sacrifice, Angle lost his leadership of the Mafia to Sting because of their match's stipulation. On June 21 at Slammiversary, Angle won (so he wouldn't leave TNA) the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the third time in a King of the Mountain match with help from Samoa Joe. On the following edition of ''Impact!'', Angle regained leadership of the Main Event Mafia after he and the rest of the Mafia, attacked Sting while introducing Joe as their newest member. At No Surrender Angle lost his championship to A.J. Styles in a five-way match which also included Matt Morgan, Sting, and Hernandez.

Various feuds (2009–2010)

After defeating Morgan at Bound for Glory, Angle came out on the following edition of ''Impact!'' and put over the younger talent of the company. Afterward, he was assaulted by the debuting Desmond Wolfe, who defeated him via knockout in a street fight the following week. At Turning Point Angle defeated Wolfe in a rematch. The following month at Final Resolution Angle faced Wolfe in a "Three Degrees of Pain" two out of three falls match. Wolfe managed to gain the first fall by pinning Angle following the Tower of London, but Angle forced him to tap out with the ankle lock to win the second fall. In the final fall, which could only be won by escaping the Six Sides of Steel, Angle managed to escape first and won the match. On the January 4, 2010, live, three hour, Monday night edition of ''Impact!'' Angle received a shot at A.J. Styles' World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated in the main event of the show. Two weeks later at Genesis Angle received one last shot at the World Heavyweight Title, but was once again defeated by Styles, who turned heel with the help of Ric Flair and nailed him with the title belt. As a result, Angle was barred from challenging for the belt as long as Styles is the title holder. Due to the circumstances surrounding the loss, Hulk Hogan gave Angle another shot at Styles and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the January 21 edition of ''Impact!'', but this time he lost the match after referee Earl Hebner, who was later revealed to have been paid off by Flair, called for the bell in an incident similar to the Montreal Screwjob. Angle responded to the incident by spitting in Hogan's face, threatening to quit TNA and go back to WWE. Angle apologized to Hogan, after being saved by him from Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac. At Against All Odds Angle took part in the 8 Card Stud Tournament to crown a new number one contender, but was defeated in the first round by Mr. Anderson, after Anderson used Angle's dog tags to bust him open. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Angle promised to make Anderson suffer for disrespecting the U.S. soldiers, but was in the end once again laid out by him, effectively starting a feud between the two. At Destination X Angle defeated Anderson in a rematch. Angle and Anderson were booked in a rubber match inside a steel cage at Lockdown. On the April 5 edition of ''Impact!'' Anderson defeated Angle in a ladder match to win possession of the key to the cage door. At Lockdown, Angle defeated Anderson in a steel cage match and afterwards announced that he would now be taking some time off from wrestling.

Rankings climb (2010)

Angle returned on the May 20 edition of ''Impact!'' and was ranked number two by the Championship Committee in the inaugural top 10 rankings for a World Heavyweight title shot. Angle, however, decided to take his name out of the running for a title shot and vowed to fight his way through the top 10 and earn his spot at the top of the company. At Slammiversary VIII Angle started his climb back to the top by defeating Kazarian, who was ranked number ten. Angle continued his climb, defeating Desmond Wolfe, who was ranked number nine prior to the match, on the June 24 edition of ''Impact!'', and D'Angelo Dinero, ranked number eight, at Victory Road. Prior to his match with Dinero, Angle announced that should he lose on his way to the top of the rankings, he would retire from professional wrestling On the July 22 edition of ''Impact!'' Angle defeated number seven ranked Hernandez and followed that up three weeks later by defeating number six ranked A.J. Styles. On the August 19 edition of ''Impact!'' the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and instead of continuing his climb, Angle was entered into an eight man tournament for the title, defeating X Division Champion Douglas Williams in his first round match. At No Surrender Angle first wrestled Jeff Hardy to a twenty minute time limit draw, after which Eric Bischoff ordered a five minute extra time. After that and a second five minute extra time also ended in draws, it was ruled that, due to a cut, Angle wouldn't be allowed to continue the match, ending the match in a no contest. After wrestling a draw on the September 16 edition of ''Impact!'', it was announced that both Angle and Hardy would advance to the finals at Bound for Glory, where they would compete with Mr. Anderson in a three–way match.

Feud with Jeff Jarrett (2010–2011)

At Bound for Glory Angle was defeated by Hardy, when he turned heel and pinned Anderson, after an interference from Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, who then went on to form an alliance named Immortal, with Hardy, Abyss and Jeff Jarrett. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Angle came out to make his retirement speech, after his failed attempt to win the World Heavyweight Champion, but was interrupted by Jarrett, who announced that he had made a deal with Hogan and Bischoff in order to end Angle's career at Bound for Glory, before attacking him, when he was restrained by TNA's security officers Gunner and Murphy. The following week Angle returned, trying to get his hands on Bischoff and Ric Flair, before being stopped by TNA's security officers. Angle returned three weeks later on the November 11 edition of ''Impact!'', saving Samoa Joe from Jeff Jarrett, Gunner and Murphy. After not appearing again for two weeks, Angle made another return on the December 2 edition of ''Impact!'', saving Samoa Joe from Jeff Jarrett and Abyss. On the January 6, 2011, edition of ''Impact!'' Angle interrupted Jarrett's $100,000 Mixed Martial Arts Challenge and signed a contract to face him at Genesis in an MMA exhibition match, since he had promised not to wrestle again. The match was thrown out in the third round after Jarrett blinded Angle. After the match Jarrett bloodied Angle, before announcing that he was ending his mixed martial arts career and promised that his wife, Karen Jarrett (formerly Karen Angle), would be joining the retirement party. On the January 13 edition of ''Impact!'' Karen made her return and stopped Angle just as he was about to attack Jeff, telling him that she would not allow him to ruin their personal lives and promised to tell all about their divorce the following week. The following week Karen slapped Kurt, providing a distraction which allowed Jeff to beat him down. At the end of the show Crimson saved Angle from a beating at the hands of Immortal and Fortune. The following week Ric Flair reinstated Angle in order to place him and Crimson in a seven–on–two handicap match against Jarrett, James Storm, Robert Roode, Kazarian, Rob Terry, Gunner and Murphy. The match ended with Jarrett pinning Angle for the win. Afterwards, Angle was saved from another beatdown by the returning Scott Steiner. The following week Fortune turned on Immortal and aligned themselves with Angle, Crimson and Steiner. On February 13 at Against All Odds Jarrett defeated Angle in a singles match and as a result Angle was forced to walk Karen down the aisle, when she and Jarrett renewed their wedding vows on the March 3 edition of ''Impact!''. After the match Angle hinted at a possible retirement by leaving his wrestling boots in the ring. On March 3 Angle proceeded to destroy the wedding set with an axe and forced wedding guest, New York Jet Bart Scott to tap out with the ankle lock. On April 17 at Lockdown, Jarrett defeated Angle in an "Ultra Male Rules" Two out of Three Falls steel cage match, with help from Karen. On the May 12 edition of ''Impact!'', Angle revealed Chyna as his backup in taking care of the Jarretts. At Sacrifice, Angle and Chyna defeated the Jarretts in a mixed tag team match. Later that same month, Angle signed a new three-year contract with TNA. With Karen out of the picture, Angle defeated Jarrett on June 12 at Slammiversary IX in what was billed as the "final battle" between the two to retain his Olympic gold medal and become the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. However, on the following edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Jarrett challenged Angle to a Parking Lot Brawl and agreed to sign a contract that would force him to move to Mexico without Angle's children, should he lose the match. Angle ended up winning the fight after choking Jarrett with a shirt, forcing him to say "adiós".

Regaining the World Heavyweight Championship (2011)

With his feud with Jarrett behind him, Angle aligned himself with Sting to feud with the rest of Immortal, including the group's newest member, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson. On the July 14 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Angle helped Sting regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Anderson. On August 7 at Hardcore Justice, Angle defeated Sting, after hitting him with a chair he snatched away from Hulk Hogan, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the record-breaking fifth time. On the following edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Angle explained that he did not agree with Sting, who, using the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, wanted to hand the promotion back to Dixie Carter, as he had found out that she had lied to him about not knowing of the relationship between Karen and Jeff Jarrett. When Sting confronted Angle, he was attacked by Hogan, which led to Angle revealing that Hogan had been the one who had exposed Carter's lie to him. Angle also revealed that his goal was now to ruin Carter's youth movement in TNA by eliminating the younger wrestlers one-by-one and started by attacking Bound for Glory Series leader Crimson after the main event, thus solidifying his heel turn.

Personal life

Angle attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a degree in education in 1993. In his later life, Angle got a Clarion University Golden Eagle, wearing a singlet, tattooed on his upper back.

Angle has four older brothers (one of whom, Eric, is also a wrestler) and a sister, Le'Anne, who died of a drug overdose. His father was killed in a construction accident when Angle was sixteen, and Angle dedicated both his career and his autobiography ''It's True, It's True'' to him as a result. Angle claimed in an interview that, following the death of his father, he regarded his wrestling coach, David Schultz, as a paternal figure. While training Angle, Schultz was murdered in January 1996 by John Eleuthère du Pont, the sponsor of Schultz's team of Olympic prospectives.

He married Karen Smedley on December 19, 1998, and the couple have a daughter, Kyra, who was born on December 2, 2002. They also have a son, Kody, who was born on October 26, 2006. In August 2007, Karen debuted in TNA as Angle's regular valet. In September 2008, it was reported that Karen had filed for divorce from Kurt. He is now engaged to actress Giovanna Yannotti. On September 30, 2010, Yannotti announced that the couple was expecting their first child. On January 22, 2011, Yannotti gave birth to a daughter named Giuliana Marie Angle.

In 2008, Angle was selected to be featured on the cover for metal band Emmure's second album ''The Respect Issue'' where he is depicted on the front and back covers for the record as well as in the inlay. Angle also further promoted the album by wearing an Emmure shirt during fights broadcasted on ''TNA Impact!''.

In 2009, It was reported that TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett was romantically linked to Karen Angle, beginning while Karen and Angle were separated. This resulted in TNA president Dixie Carter, placing Jeff Jarrett on leave of absence. The situation was revealed in July 2009 when a caller claiming to be a former TNA employee called in on ''The Bubba the Love Sponge Show''. Dixie Carter commented on the situation on Impact, stating "a personal situation that affected the company and it put all of us in a very difficult position." She said Jeff was placed "on leave as both a talent and in his capacity with the company and I'd like to leave it at that." In December 2009, Jarrett returned to TNA. He would marry Karen on August 21, 2010.

In April 2011, Angle revealed that he was planning a comeback to amateur wrestling for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Substance abuse allegations

Wellness Policy violation

On March 6, 2007, ''Sports Illustrated'' reported that Angle's name was found in the client database of a Florida wellness center suspected of being a front for distributing performance-enhancing drugs. The magazine alleged Angle had received prescriptions for trenbolone (which is not approved for human use by the FDA) and nandrolone, both anabolic steroids. Angle responded on his official website: "I did not improperly receive prescriptions. It is well documented that in my career I have broken vertebrae in my neck on five occasions and each time the course of treatment was under the care and supervision of my doctors. Any attempt to link me to the athletes in the current news accounts who may have improperly sought performance-enhancing drugs is without foundation."

Approximately two weeks later on March 19, 2007, ''Sports Illustrated'' posted on its website another article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. That article mentioned that 10 other professional wrestlers were implicated to have received performance-enhancing drugs from the same drug ring including four WWE wrestlers and Eddie Guerrero. Kurt never failed a drug test for pain pills. He did, however, fail a steroid test under WWE's Wellness Policy because his prescription for Deca-Durabolin had expired.

Driving under the influence charges

Angle was arrested at his home by Moon Township, Pennsylvania police on September 28, 2007 on a charge of driving under the influence after being reported by a woman who claimed that he almost hit her while leaving a local restaurant. Officials said Angle failed a field sobriety test but refused a blood test. Angle was charged with driving under the influence and careless driving, but he denies the charges. On September 9, 2008, Angle was cleared of all charges pertaining to his DUI arrest. On March 25, 2011, Angle was arrested in Grand Forks, North Dakota and charged with "being in control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated", after failing a field sobriety test. Angle later pled guilty to the charges and was on April 20 sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation, a chemical dependency evaluation, a $250 fine, $225 in court fees, and a ten day suspended jail sentence.

2009 arrest

On August 15, 2009, Pittsburgh-based NBC affiliate WPXI reported that Angle had been arrested. His girlfriend stated that she had filed a protection from abuse (PFA) order and that he was stalking her in the Robinson Township area. Angle was charged with "driving while operating privilege is suspended, prohibited acts-possession, harassment and prohibited acts". Hygetropin, a human growth hormone, was found in his car; Angle maintained that he had a prescription for the drug. On September 15 a District Court Judge dropped the harassment, suspended license, and drug charges against Angle. On November 9, 2009 the PFA charges were dropped after he and former girlfriend Trenesha Biggers reached an agreement to avoid contact with each other.

Acting career

In regards to his future, Angle has expressed interest on several occasions in pursuing an acting career after retirement from professional wrestling. In the spring of 2008, Angle made his film debut in the short film ''Chains''. He played a racist prison deputy, credited as The Deputy.

In the fall of 2008, Angle played the role of maniacal serial killer Brad Mayfield in the movie ''End Game''. In addition, on an episode of ''Pros vs. Joes'' season three, he was teamed up with Jimmy Smith and Kendall Gill against the Joes.

Angle also made an appearance on ''Criss Angel Mindfreak'', during the segment "Car Wreck Vanish." He will also make an appearance in the upcoming 2011 film ''Warrior'' as the Russian mixed-martial arts champion, Koba. Kurt stars alongside Kevin Nash, Sam Nicotero, Bill Laing, Mary Rutledge, and Bill Hinzman in the movie ''River of Darkness,'' directed by Bruce Koehler. In the movie, he portrayed the town sheriff, Will Logan. On the ''Right After Wrestling'' program on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 98, Angle told hosts Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas that he would become a part time wrestler after his contract expires in 2011 to focus on Angle Foods and his acting career.

Filmography

2009: ''End Game'' – as Brad Mayfield

2009: ''Chain's'' – as The Deputy (Short Film)

2010: ''Death from Above'' – as Thule

2010: ''Devil Dogs'' – as Steve Stagger (pre-Production)

2010: ''Dylan Dog: Dead of Night'' – as Wolfgang (2010)

2010: ''River of Darkness'' – as Sheriff Will Logan (2010)

2010: ''Beyond the Mat'' – as Coach Kamen

2011: ''Warrior'' – as Koba (2011)

Television

2011:''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' – Himself (1 episode)

2009:''Howard Stern On Demand'' – Himself (2 episodes, Eric the Midget Visits the Studio, Kurt Angle Wants Robin)

2009:''Criss Angel Mindfreak'' – Himself (1 episode, Car Wreck Vanish)

2008:''Pros vs. Joes'' – Himself (1 episode)

2007:''Inside MMA'' – Himself (2 episodes)

2006:''2006 Scream Awards'' – Himself

2005:''MTV's Made'' – Himself (1 episode)

2002:''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' – Himself (1 episode)

2001:''The Weakest Link'' – Himself (1 episode)

2001:''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' – Himself (1 episode)

2000:''The Big Breakfast'' – Himself (1 episode)

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Angle Slam'' / ''Olympic Slam'', sometimes from the top rope or an elevated position

Ankle lock, sometimes followed by grapevining the opponent's leg

Crossface chickenwing – 2000; adopted from Bob Backlund

Signature moves

Bodyscissors

Double leg takedown, often transitioned into a pin or a suplex

European uppercut

Frog splash – TNA

Headbutt

Moonsault

Multiple suplex variations

*Bridging / Release belly to back

*Bridging / Release / Rolling German

*Overhead belly to belly, sometimes from the top rope

Rear naked choke

Triangle choke

Managers

*Bob Backlund

*Paul Heyman

*Shane McMahon

*Stephanie McMahon

*Trish Stratus

*Luther Reigns

*Daivari

*Tomko

*Karen Angle

*Kevin Nash

*Frank Trigg

Nicknames

*"The American Hero" (WWF / NJPW)

*"The Most Celebrated Real Athlete in WWF History" (WWF)

*"The Olympic Gold Medalist" (WWF/E / TNA)

*"The Olympic Hero" (WWF)

*"The Wrestling Machine" (WWE)

*"The Godfather of The Main Event Mafia" (TNA)

Entrance themes

*World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

**"Medal" by Jim Johnston (1999–2006)

**"I Don't Suck" by Jim Johnston

**"Medal (Remix)" by Jim Johnston (2006)

*Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

**"My Quest" by Dale Oliver (2006–2007)

**"Gold Medal" by Tha Trademarc (2007–present)

*"Main Event Mafia" by Dale Oliver (used while a member of The Main Event Mafia; 2008–2009)

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

Canadian Cup Championship

*Winner (1990)

Collegiate / High School

*Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion (1987)

*Clarion University Freshman of the Year (1988)

Espoir World Cup

*Runner-up (1989)

International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles

*FILA Junior World Freestyle Champion (1988)

*FILA World Championships gold medal in freestyle wrestling (100 kg) (1995)

National Amateur Wrestling

*National Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2001)

National Collegiate Athletic Association

*NCAA Division I All-American (1990–1992)

*NCAA Division I Champion (1990, 1992)

*NCAA Division I Runner-up (1991)

Olympic Games

*Summer Olympics gold medal in freestyle wrestling (heavyweight) (1996)

USA Wrestling

*USA Junior Freestyle Champion (1987)

*USA Senior Freestyle Champion (1995, 1996)

*USA Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2001)

Yasar Dogu Tournament

*Runner-up (1989)

Professional wrestling

'''Cauliflower Alley Club

*Future Legend Award (2000)

Inoki Genome Federation

IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Power Pro Wrestling

PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Comeback of the Year (2003)

PWI Feud of the Year (2000)vs. Triple H

PWI Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar

*PWI Feud of the Year (2007) vs. Samoa Joe

PWI Match of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar in a 60-minute Iron Man match on SmackDown!, September 16

PWI Match of the Year (2005) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21

PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2000)

PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2001)

PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2003)

PWI Rookie of the Year (2000)

PWI Wrestler of the Year (2003)

PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2001

SoCal Uncensored

Match of the Year (2000) vs. Christopher Daniels, September 13, 2000, Ultimate Pro Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA World Heavyweight Championship (5 times, current)¹

TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sting

TNA X Division Championship (1 time)

*King of the Mountain (2007, 2009)

*Second Triple Crown Champion

Feud of the Year (2006–2007)

Match of the Year (2007)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

WCW United States Championship (1 time)²

WCW Championship (1 time)²

World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

WWF/E Championship (4 times)

WWF European Championship (1 time)

WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)

WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)

WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Benoit

King of the Ring (2000)

*Tenth Triple Crown Champion

*Fifth Grand Slam Championship

'''Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Best Gimmick (2000)

*Best on Interviews (2002)

*Best Technical Wrestler (2002)

*Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar

*Match of the Year with Chris Benoit vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio, No Mercy 2002

*Most Improved (2000)

*Most Outstanding Wrestler (2001–2003)

*Readers' Favorite Wrestler (2002–2003)

Wrestler of the Decade (2000s)

*Wrestler of the Year (2002)

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)

1 Angle's first reign is no longer recognized by TNA. 2 Won during the Invasion storyline.

Lucha de Apuesta record

{|class="wikitable sortable" width=100% |- !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=5%|Wager !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Winner !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Loser !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Notes |----- align="center" |Hair || Edge || Kurt Angle || Nashville, Tennessee || || Hair vs. Hair match at Judgment Day |}

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Interview with HitTheRopes.com

Professional wrestling record for Kurt Angle from The Internet Wrestling Database

TNA Profile

Kurt Angle at The National Wrestling Hall of Fame website

Category:1968 births Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American sport wrestlers Category:Living people Category:Olympic athletes who wrestled professionally Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic wrestlers of the United States Category:People from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania Category:Professional wrestling executives Category:Sportspeople from Pennsylvania Category:Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Clarion University of Pennsylvania alumni Category:Pennsylvania Republicans Category:Fictional kings Category:Olympic medalists in wrestling

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Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
name	Shaun White
fullname	Shaun Roger White
birth date	September 03, 1986
birth place	San Diego, California, U.S.
sport	Snowboarding, Skateboarding
country
height
weight
medaltemplates	}}

}}

Shaun Roger White (born September 3, 1986) is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.

Early life

Shaun White is an Irish American. He was born with a Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect for which he endured two open-heart operations before the age of one. He stands 5'8" (1.73 m) tall. White spent his formative years riding Okemo Mountain and Bear Mountain, small ski resorts found in Ludlow, Vermont, and the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California.

Snowboarding career

White's skateboard career took place during the same time he was rising through the snowboard ranks. White quickly drew the eyes of many in the skateboarder scene including professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. At this point Hawk befriended the nine-year-old White at a local skatepark and mentored him, helping him turn pro in skateboarding at the age of 17. White has gone on to win many titles on his skateboard, most notably winning the overall title of Action Sports Tour Champion, as well as being the first person to compete in and win both the Summer and Winter X Games in two different sports. Following in his older brother's footsteps, White switched from skiing to snowboarding at age six, and by age seven he received his first sponsorship. White has participated in two Winter Olympics in his career. At both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, White won gold in the snowboard halfpipe event. White has also participated in the Winter X Games, where he has won a medal every year since 2002. Including all winter X Games competitions through 2009, his medal count stands at 15 (10 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze), among which is the first quadruple win streak by a male athlete in one discipline, the snowboard slopestyle. White's streak was snapped in 2007 when he lost to Andreas Wiig and Teddy Flandreau, with White taking the bronze. He won the Air & Style Contest in 2003 and 2004.

2006 Winter Olympics

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, White won gold in the half-pipe. After his first run in qualifications, White was almost out of competition, scoring only 37.7. On his second run, he recorded a score of 45.3. In the finals, White recorded a score of 46.8 (50 is the highest possible score) to win. Fellow American Danny Kass won the silver with a points total of 44.0.

2008

Executing a near-flawless second run, White captured his third consecutive snowboard halfpipe title at the 2008 U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships to go along with his third US Open slopestyle competition. This followed White's win at the 25th (2007) Burton US Open, where he placed third in slopestlyle and first in the halfpipe. At the 2007 Open, White was also crowned the first "Burton Global Open Champion". His take for the event was $100,000 (Global Open Champ), $20,000 (1st Place Halfpipe), $90,000 (3rd Place Slopestyle), and a new Corvette.

On November 16, 2008 White released his first videogame "Shaun White Snowboarding" in North America (November 14, 2008 in Europe). ''Shaun White:Snowboarding'' was the 20th best-selling game of December 2008 in the United States.

2009

There was a lot of controversy over who won the 2009 SuperPipe at Winter X Games XIII. Kevin Pearce had 5 hits in the pipe, and all were the same tricks White did in his final run. White, on the other hand, had 6 hits and he started off his run with a big backside rodeo 540 where Pearce started his run off with a big grab. Although Pearce went bigger, he only had 5 hits, and his first hit wasn't as technical as White's first hit. Judges came to the conclusion that White deserved the better score because he started off with a more technical trick and he had 1 more hit than Pearce. With the win, White became the second competitor, after Tanner Hall, to win a gold medal in the superpipe in consecutive years at the Winter X Games. He also won a gold medal in Slopestyle, finally winning gold after 2 straight years of bronze.

On February 14, 2009, White won the FIS World Cup Men's Halfpipe event at Vancouver's Cypress Mountain. Out of the gate in his first qualifying run, he qualified immediately with the day's best score of 45.5. With a thumb sprained on an over-rotated backside 1080 in the second qualifying run, he clinched the event with the first of his two runs in the finals. His first finals run was awarded the highest score ever in FIS halfpipe, a 47.3.

2010 Winter Olympics

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, White again won gold in the halfpipe. In the finals, White recorded a score of 46.8 on his first run, which proved a high enough score to secure the gold medal without a second run. He performed his second run anyway, as a victory lap, ending his run with a well-anticipated Double McTwist 1260 which he named The Tomahawk. This second run resulted in a record score of 48.4 (50 is the highest possible score) enlarging his margin of victory. His nearest competitor won the silver with a points total of 45.0, 3.4 behind White.

2011

After a sub-par performance in the Slopestyle, failing to reach the finals, White "redeemed" himself in the Superpipe. With an 89, he sat in second place going into his 2nd of three runs. He completed the run, landing his infamous Double McTwist 1260 and finishing with a score of 97.33 to take the lead and claim the historical 4th straight Gold in the Winter X Games, held in Aspen Colorado. The score tied an X Games record, which was set by White one year before. His 3rd run was a simple victory run featuring mostly straight air.

Athletic achievements

In 2003 White was the first to compete and medal in both the Summer and Winter X Games in two different sports.

White is the first snowboarder ever to land back to back double corks, at the Red Bull superpipe.

He remains the only skater to land the frontside heelflip 540 body varial. (The Armadillo).

He was the first to land a Cab 7 Melon Grab in vert skateboarding.

He is the first snowboarder to win back-to-back gold medals in the Winter X-Games Superpipe.

He is also the first athlete ever (on snowboard or skis) to win gold medals four years in a row in the Winter X-Games Superpipe.

He is the first (and only) person to win both a Summer and Winter Dew Cup.

White was the first to "three-peat" in SuperPipe at the Winter X Games.

Shaun White holds the record for the highest score in the men's halfpipe at the Winter Olympics. In 2006, his 46.8 points bested Ross Powers' previous record of 46.1 from 2002. In 2010, during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he improved his own record with 48.4 points in his final run.

Non-competition awards and accolades

White was named the "Chairman of the Board" on the Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards on June 13, 2007 and again on June 19, 2010. In the March 2009 issue of ''Snowboarder Magazine'', he was named the ninth-best snowboarder in the World.

He won the ''Revolver'' Golden Gods Award for "Most Metal Athlete".

White has been named ''Transworld Snowboarding'''s Rider Of The Year twice.

Endorsements

White has had a sponsor since he was seven years old. White signed CAA Sports for representation after working with IMG for eight years. Corporate endorsement deals include or have included Burton Snowboards, Oakley, Inc., Birdhouse Skateboards, Park City Mountain Resort, Target Corporation, Red Bull, Ubisoft, Adio and Hewlett-Packard. White also has his own character on the game ''Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder'' as well as the video game ''Shaun White Snowboarding'' and the upcoming video game ''Shaun White Skateboarding''. In 2009, ''Forbes'' magazine estimated that he had earned $9 million from his endorsements in 2008.

Media appearances

He had his first published interview in TransWorld SNOWboarding Magazine in 2003.

White starred in the 2005 snowboarding documentary ''First Descent''.

In 2007, White appeared on the E! reality TV show "The Girls Next Door" as a snowboarding teacher for Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. White was one of the few pro snowboarders to be a guest editor of Snowboarder Magazine (February 2008 issue).

The 2008 video game ''Shaun White Snowboarding'' is named after him, and the game was personally played and demonstrated by him at Nintendo's E3 2008 Press Conference.

A film, ''Don't Look Down'' has been released on DVD and ESPN. The film tracks his journey through the year following his Olympic success. White was on the cover for ''The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition''. White appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, March 2, 2010, recounting the story of how his mother had his first Olympic gold medal dry cleaned.

White had a cameo appearance as himself in the 2011 film Friends with Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.

Personal life

Addressing his perception of the nickname "The Flying Tomato", ''Rolling Stone'' wrote, "he used to embrace it, even wearing headbands with a flying-tomato logo, but he has grown tired of it." He has also been nicknamed as "animal", a reference to a character from the satirical puppet show ''The Muppet Show''.

In February 2009, Red Bull built White a halfpipe completely out of natural snow in the back country of Colorado on the backside of Silverton Mountain, coordinates (37.838801,-107.710299).

References

External links

Official Site of Shaun White

Red Bull's Secret Halfpipe — New Tricks

TTR World Snowboard Tour Rider Profile (current standings in the world ranking with contest results)

TransWorld SNOWboarding Magazine — coverage of White from age 14 on

Snowboardermag.com — interviews and videos

Shaun White's U.S. Olympic Team bio

AP Winter Games Athlete Profile: Shaun White

AP: White's showstopper caps second Olympic gold

AP: Inside the Rings: Shaun White blazes trails

Shaun White Interview: Pop Magazine

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:People from San Diego, California Category:Sportspeople from San Diego, California Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American snowboarders Category:American skateboarders Category:Sportspeople from California Category:Snowboarders at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Snowboarders at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic snowboarders of the United States Category:Sportspeople of multiple sports Category:X-Games athletes Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic medalists in snowboarding

an:Shaun White bg:Шон Уайт ca:Shaun White cs:Shaun White de:Shaun White es:Shaun White fr:Shaun White ko:숀 화이트 it:Shaun White lv:Šons Vaits lt:Shaun White nl:Shaun White ja:ショーン・ホワイト no:Shaun White pl:Shaun White pt:Shaun White ru:Уайт, Шон fi:Shaun White sv:Shaun White uk:Шон Вайт

}} Total Total

Pyrros Dimas (), born on October 13, 1971) is a retired Greek weightlifter, considered as one of the greatest of all time, having been three times Olympic champion and three times World Champion.

Background

Dimas was born to ethnic Greek parents in Himara, Northern Epirus (Albania).

Victories with Albania

Dimas started the sport at 11 and competed at a junior's level at 14. At 18, in 1989, he became triple Champion of Albania for the 82.5 kg category and in 1990 he repeated himself. While in Albania, he was coached by Ferid Berberi.

In 1990 he was also accorded the title "Master of Sports" by the Albanian government and the title "European Master" by the European Weightlifting Federation.

He was part of the Albanian weightlifting team to which he made important con tributions: In 1989 in the 62nd World Championship of Weightlifting Dimas ranked 12th in the World and helped Albania rank 13th in the world.).

In the 69th European Weightlifting Championship (held in Aalborg, Denmark May 1990), Dimas ranked 4th in Europe and Albania ranked 3rd (after 1st placed USSR and 2nd placed Bulgaria), and in the European Cup for nations (in Antalya, Turkey, December 1990) Dimas, Luan Shabani and Fatmir Bushi helped Albania rank 2nd in Europe (after 1st placed Bulgaria).

Victories with Greece

Dimas emigrated to Greece in 1991, at age 20. He acquired Greek citizenship in 1992, and first competed under the Greek flag in the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the 82.5 kg class.

During his 202.5 kg lift at the clean and jerk, he shouted "Για την Ελλάδα!" (transliterated "Yia tin Ellada!"; meaning "For Greece!"), thus dedicating his victory to Greece. This is the catchphrase with which he is most associated in Greece.

At a time when Greek success at the Olympics was limited, he and Voula Patoulidou (the surprise gold medalist at the 100m hurdles) became instant national heroes. They were greeted as such on their return to Greece at a grand ceremony attended by more than 100,000 people at the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens. His birthplace gave rise to his nickname "The Lion of Himara". His outstanding number of Olympic Gold Medals created another nickname "Midas".

Characteristic of his self-confidence was his tendency to keep the weights lifted after the buzzer had sounded so that the crowd could take photographs.

With the 1993 and 1995 World titles under his belt, Dimas was the favorite to win Olympic Gold in the 83 kg class at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was the flagbearer of the Greek Olympic team. He won the event with two new World Records.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won yet another gold medal, this time in the 85 kg class. This made him one of just three weightlifters at that time to have won three Olympic gold medals, the others being Naim Süleymanoğlu (Turkey, but born in Bulgaria) and Kakhi Kakhiashvili (Greece, but born in Georgia). Halil Mutlu (like Süleymanoğlu, a Bulgaria-born Turk) would become the fourth in 2004.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Dimas was again chosen as Greek flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dimas was recovering from knee surgery and a hurt wrist and was not expected to compete in these Olympics, but he came away with a bronze medal in the 85 kg class, becoming only the fourth weightlifter in history to win a medal at four different Olympic Games and only the third to win them successively four times, thus cementing his status as a national hero in Greece.

After earning the bronze medal he signalled his retirement by leaving his shoes on the platform, while the appreciative Greek crowd gave him a standing ovation.

In June 2008, Dimas became vice-president, and in October 2008 president of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation.

Personal life

Pyrros Dimas is married to Anastasia Sdougkou, a former Greek National Television (ERT) sports reporter. Together they have four children, Eleni (b. 1995), Victor (b. 1998), Maria (b. 2000), and Nickolas (b.2009).

Career bests

Snatch: 180.5 kg 1999 in Athens in the class to 85 kg.

Clean and jerk: 215.0 kg 2000 Summer Olympics in the class to 85 kg.

Total: 392.5 kg 1996 Summer Olympics in the class to 83 kg.

Front Squat: 290.0 kg

Back Squat: 330.0 kg

Clean Pull: 250.0 kg

Deadlift: 290.0 kg

Power Snatch: 155.0 kg

Notes and references

External links

Official Homepage of Pyrros Dimas

Pyrros Dimas at Lift Up

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Himarë Category:Greek weightlifters Category:Olympic weightlifters of Greece Category:Weightlifters at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Weightlifters at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Weightlifters at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists for Greece Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Greece Category:Northern Epirotes Category:Olympic medalists in weightlifting

ar:بيروس ديماس ca:Pyrros Dimas de:Pyrros Dimas el:Πύρρος Δήμας es:Pyrros Dimas la:Pyrrhus Demas no:Pyrros Dimas pl:Pyrros Dimas pt:Pyrros Dimas ru:Димас, Пиррос fi:Pirros Dimas uk:Піррос Дімас

Coordinates	20°34′00″N103°40′35″N
Name	Franz Klammer
Country
Disciplines	Downhill, Giant Slalom,Combined
Birth date
Birth place	Mooswald, Carinthia, Austria
Height
Weight	79 kg
Wcdebut	December 1972(age 19)
Retired	March 1985
Olympicteams	2 - ''(1976, 1984)''
Olympicmedals	1
Olympicgolds	1
Worldsteams	5''includes 1976 Olympics''
Worldsmedals	3
Worldsgolds	2
Wcseasons	13 - (1973-85)
Wcwins	26 - (25 DH, 1 K)
Wcpodiums	45 - (41 DH, 1 GS, 3 K)
Wcoveralls	0
Wctitles	5 - (5 DH - 1975-78, 1983)
Show-medals	yes
Medaltemplates	}}

}}

Franz Klammer (born December 3, 1953, in Mooswald, Austria) is a former champion alpine ski racer. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78). He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel in dramatic fashion. He won 25 World Cup downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbühel.

Background

Klammer was born into a farming family in Mooswald, Carinthia. Like many alpine farm boys, he skied at school each winter day. He had a tough struggle to make the Austrian skiing team, dominated by the provinces of Tyrol and Salzburg. He spent 13 seasons on the World Cup circuit (1972–85).

Career

Klammer first showed signs of promise in the second half of the 1973 World Cup season, finishing second in the St. Anton downhill behind Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the reigning Olympic and World Cup downhill champion. Klammer, age 19, followed this up with a third at St. Moritz and a third in the giant slalom at Mont Sainte-Anne. The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland, his nemesis that season. After beating Collombin at Schladming under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz, and Wengen. In December 1974, Collombin fell at Val-d'Isère, as he had the previous year. This time Collombin broke his back in a training run, unfortunately ending his promising career. Klammer won that race and every other downhill that 1975 season, except Megève, where his ski came off; without this incident, he would have won the overall title of 1975, due to a good slalom result two days before at Chamonix, which would have granted him at least a third place (15 points) for the combined of slalom Chamonix / downhill Megève. In the Olympic tune-up run at Patscherkofel at Innsbruck in January 1975, Klammer had defeated defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the runner-up, by nearly a half-second.

Entering the 1976 Winter Olympics, the 22 year old Klammer was the favorite to take the gold medal in the downhill at Innsbruck in his native Austria. He was the defending World Cup downhill champion, and had won the three previous downhills in January at Wengen, Morzine, and Kitzbühel. Starting in the 15th position, Klammer was the last of the top seeds, and knew that Russi had set a blistering pace on the course at Patscherkofel, leading by over a half-second. Klammer took heavy risks on the treacherous piste, skied on the edge of disaster, and won by 0.33 seconds to the delight of the Austrian fans.

Top 15 finishers

Although he dominated the downhill event, the overall World Cup title remained elusive, because the technical specialists had two events in which to earn points (slalom & giant slalom) whereas a speed specialist had only one. The second speed event, the Super G, was not a World Cup event until December 1982, at the twilight of Klammer's World Cup career.

At the end of the 1975 season, despite having won 8 of 9 downhills, he finished third for the overall World Cup title; he finished fourth in 1976, third in 1977, and fifth in 1978

Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1983; twice more than the next best downhiller. In the 1975 season he won 8 of 9 World Cup downhill races, including his first of three consecutive victories (1975–77) on the prestigious ''Streif'' on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbühel. He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30.

After his fourth consecutive season title in downhill in 1978, he began a prolonged slump until the end of the 1981 season. He may have been affected by his brother's spinal cord injury in a downhill race, as well as a change of ski supplier (from Fischer to Kneissl). Unable to make the strong four-member Austrian downhill team for the 1980 Olympics, Klammer could not defend his Olympic title at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback; finally in December 1981, after another ski change from Kneissl to Blizzard, he won at Val-d'Isère. The following season he regained the World Cup Downhill title, his fifth, followed by the 1984 victory at Kitzbuehel, his fourth on the Hahnenkamm. At the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, (then Yugoslavia, now Bosnia), Klammer finished a disappointing tenth on a less-than-challenging course on Bjelašnica. The race was won by the brash Bill Johnson of the U.S. (whom he called a "nose picker"), an excellent glider who had recently won his first World Cup race on a shortened course at Wengen. Johnson had promising training runs and publicly predicted his Olympic victory.

At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the spectacular, pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. He won 8 of 9 during the 1975 season. He also won 19 of 23, 20 of 26 and 21 of 29 downhills. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. These achievements mark him as arguably the greatest downhill racer ever: Karl Schranz achieved 20 wins over an extended career while Klammer won 19 in less than three seasons.

In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. He answered that although his gold medal at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck was generally regarded as his greatest career achievement, winning at Kitzbühel in 1984 meant something very special to him, considering he hadn't won there since 1977.

Klammer was never an elegant downhill skier, his focus was speed and victory. In his descents he appeared at times to be dangerously off balance. In spite, or perhaps because of his unique style of skiing, he was able to consistently dominate a field of gifted competitors.

His final World Cup race was in February 1985; he retired from international competition at age 31.Klammer finished with 26 World Cup victories, 45 podiums and 87 top ten finishes (71 downhill, 5 combined, 11 giant slalom).

Motor racing

Immediately after his retirement from alpine competition, Klammer took up motor racing, and was soon involved in touring car racing, driving Mercedes-Benz saloons all over Europe and racing professionally as far away as Australia. In 1990 Klammer won a round of the prestigious European Touring Car Championship.

Legacy

Franz Klammer was a hero to Austrian ski racing fans and also to fans the world over for doing a great deal to promote the popularity of alpine ski racing. He is known as "The Kaiser" and also as the "Klammer Express."

In an interview with Tom Brokaw that aired on NBC on February 13, 2010, as part of their 2010 Winter Olympics coverage, American Olympian ski racer Bode Miller cited Klammer's style and approach to skiing as a major source of inspiration for him.

Klammer has established the Franz Klammer Foundation, which benefits seriously injured athletes.

World Cup victories

Overall

{|class="wikitable" !Season!!Discipline |- |align=center|1975 || align=center|Downhill |- |align=center|1976 || align=center|Downhill |- |align=center|1977 || align=center|Downhill |- |align=center|1978 || align=center|Downhill |- |align=center|1983 || align=center|Downhill |}

Individual races

26 race victories: 25 downhill, 1 combined < 08 Dec 1974 Garmisch ClassicLauberhornHahnenkamm, KitzbühelPatscherkofelJackson Hole Mountain Resort 12 Dec 1975 rowspan=2Aspen Mountain (ski area) 17 Dec 1976 11 Dec 1977 06 Dec 1981 20 Dec 1982 21 Jan 1984

Season			! Location	! Race
rowspan=2 align=center>1974 Alpine Skiing World Cup	1974	22 Dec 1973	Schladming, Austria	|align=center|Downhill
colspan=3 align=center	''1974 World Championships''
rowspan=8 align=center	|	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
15 Dec 1974	St. Moritz, Switzerland >
05 Jan 1975	Garmisch, West Germany || align=center|Downhill
11 Jan 1975	Wengen, Switzerland || align=center|Downhill
18 Jan 1975	Kitzbühel, Austria || align=center|Downhill
26 Jan 1975	Innsbruck, Austria || align=center|Downhill
09 Mar 1975	Jackson Hole, USA || align=center|Downhill
21 Mar 1975	Val Gardena, Italy >
rowspan=7 align=center>1976 Alpine Skiing World Cup	1976	|	<	Madonna di Campiglio, Italy	Downhill
10 Jan 1976	Wengen, Switzerland || align=center|Downhill
11 Jan 1976	align=center
17 Jan 1976	Morzine, France >
25 Jan 1976	Kitzbühel, Austria >
colspan=3 align=center	''1976 Winter Olympics''
12 Mar 1976	Aspen, USA || align=center|Downhill
rowspan=6 align=center>1977 Alpine Skiing World Cup	1977	|	<	Val Gardena, Italy	Downhill
18 Dec 1976	Downhill
08 Jan 1977	Garmisch, West Germany >
15 Jan 1977	Kitzbühel, Austria >
22 Jan 1977	Wengen, Switzerland >
18 Feb 1977	Laax, Switzerland >
rowspan=2 align=center	1978	|	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
11 Mar 1978	Laax, Switzerland >
rowspan=1 align=center>1982 Alpine Skiing World Cup	1982	|	<	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
rowspan=1 align=center>1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup	1983	|	<	Val Gardena, Italy	Downhill
rowspan=1 align=center>1984 Alpine Skiing World Cup	1984	|	Kitzbühel, Austria	Downhill

References

External links

International Who's Who - Franz Klammer - accessed 2006-09-04.

''Sports Illustrated'' - cover - 16-Feb-1976 - Franz Klammer - 1976 Winter Olympics

*On Came The Heroes - by William Oscar Johnson

''Sports Illustrated'' - 21-Feb-2003 - Franz Klammer

YouTube video - Olympics - 05-Feb-1976

Full 1976 Olympic Run

YouTube video - Kitzbühel - 21-Jan-1984

Books with references and insights into Franz Klammer's career:

* "White Circus" by Ken Read/Matthew Fisher

* "On the Edge" by Currie Chapman/Randy Starkman

David Zwilling|title=Austrian Sportsman of the year|years=1975 – 1976|after= Niki Lauda}} Armin Kogler|title=Austrian Sportsman of the year|years=1983|after= Peter Seisenbacher}}

Category:Austrian alpine skiers Category:Olympic alpine skiers of Austria Category:Alpine skiers at the 1976 Winter Olympics Category:Alpine skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists for Austria Category:Austrian racecar drivers Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Olympic medalists in alpine skiing

bg:Франц Кламер da:Franz Klammer de:Franz Klammer es:Franz Klammer fr:Franz Klammer it:Franz Klammer nl:Franz Klammer no:Franz Klammer pl:Franz Klammer ru:Кламмер, Франц sr:Франц Кламер fi:Franz Klammer sv:Franz Klammer