Home > Vinko Bogataj

Bogataj was competing as a (then) Yugoslav entrant at the World Ski Flying Championships in Oberstdorf , Germany (then West Germany) on March 21, 1970. A light snow had begun falling at the start of the event, and by the time Bogataj was ready for his third jump, the snow had become quite heavy.

Midway down the ramp for that jump, Bogataj realized that the conditions had made the ramp too fast. He attempted to lower his center of gravity and stop his jump, but instead lost his balance completely and rocketed out of control off the end of the ramp, tumbling and flipping wildly, and crashing through a light retaining fence near a crowd of stunned spectators before coming to a halt. Fortunately - and surprisingly, given the ferocity of the crash - Bogataj suffered only a mild concussion. He returned to ski jumping the next year, but never duplicated the success he had before the crash and retired from the sport competitively (except for occasional senior competitions thereafter). He became a ski instructor, coaching the 1991 World Champion Slovenian ski jumper Franci Petek , and supplementing his income by operating a forklift at a factory.

It is likely that Vinko Bogataj's crash would have remained an obscure sports legend had a film crew from the American sports televsion show ABC's Wide World of Sports not been on hand to record the event. The show featured an opening narration (by host Jim McKay) over a montage of sports clips, and starting from then, coordinating producer Dennis Lewin inserted the footage of Bogataj's tremendous tumble to coincide with the words "...and the agony of defeat!" Throughout the show's long history, various images were used for the other parts of the narration, including for "The thrill of victory...", which directly proceeded the above phrase and was often accompanied by images of the celebrating team at the most recent Super BowlAmerican football competitions The Super Bowl is the championship game of professional American football. It is the championship game of the National Football League, and is the most important American football competition. An AFL-NFL Championship Game wa or Football World CupThe Football World Cup is the most important competition in international football (soccer). Organised by Federation Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), the sport's governing body, the World Cup finals tournament is the most widely-viewed and. But for those many years after that point, the "agony of defeat" was always illustrated by Bogataj's failed jump.

The melodrama of the narration - which became something of a catch phraseA catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. They are especially common among TV and cartoon characters. Today, catch phrases are frequently seen as an important part in the U.S. - and the sympathetic pain of watching Bogataj wipe out week after week, transformed the uncredited ski jumper into an American icon of unluck and misfortune. Meanwhile, having retired to his quiet, private life in Slovenia, Vinko Bogataj was unaware of his celebrity, and so was quite confused to be asked to attend an anniversary celebration for Wide World of Sports in 1991 - and stunned when the other, more famous athletes present, such as Muhammad AliOther people with this name: Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Mehemet Ali (Turkey Muhammad Ali-Haj (born January 17, 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. is an American boxer. He was one of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers, as well as one of the world's most f, asked him for his autographAutograph of king Charles XII of Sweden 1682- 1718 An autograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one transcribed by an amanuensis or a copyist (see allography). The meaning overlaps with.

Today, Bogataj still lives in his home town of Lesce in Slovenia. He is married and has two daughters, and in his spare time enjoys woodcarvingAs a contemporary artistic medium, wood is used in traditional and modern styles, and is an excellent medium for green new art. Wood is used in forms of sculpture, craft, and decoration including Chip carving, Wood burning and. Although sculpture in wood and paintingThis article is about the painting of a surface for artistic reasons. Painting is also the utilitarian painting of objects and buildings, often done to provide a protective coating or for aesthetic reasons. One possible process for decorative painting of.