The faulty ski jump he had that day would be seen each week in the series’ opening sequence. It wasn't long before ABC began using the clip of the crash to accompany the phrase 'agony of defeat' in the 'Wide World of Sports' introduction. Slovenian ski jumper Vinko Bogataj is the athlete who personified The Agony of Defeat by competing in the 1970 International Ski Flying Championship in Oberstdorf, West Germany.

If you're too young to have seen it, here is a famed piece of sports history in 15 seconds:īogataj, then 22 years old and competing for Yugoslavia, suffered a concussion and a broken ankle in a terrifying tumble at the 1970 World Ski Flying Championships in Oberstdorf, West Germany. If nothing else, I always enjoyed tuning in to the introduction to watch the agony of defeat guy wipe out at the end of the ski jump. Seems like they’d have a lot of downhill skiing, ski jumps, bob sleds, and various oddball stuff that caught my attention. With that in mind, we revisit the viral video that made an indelible mark on the sports world long before the era of social media - the frightful ski jumping crash from the opening montage of 'ABC's Wide World of Sports.'įans of a certain age almost certainly remember the image of Slovenian athlete Vinko Bogataj wiping out on the takeoff ramp and hurtling toward a gallery of spectators. I remember watching the Wide World of Sports quite a bit. Outdoors Agony of Defeat: Accidental celebrity Vinko Bogataj highlights gathering at the Big Nansen By John Koziol Union Leader Correspondent Updated Buy Now.

A Google search for 'agony of defeat' returns nearly 500,000 results. Bogataj’s wild crash, which was featured on the show’s opening theme for nearly 30 years, made him an American icon, while cementing the catch phrase the agony of defeat in the American sporting lexicon, and shaping the public’s perception of ski jumping as a dangerous sport. For sports fans of a certain age, the phrase 'agony of defeat' is indelibly linked to a single image: Slovenian ski jumper Vinko Bogataj rag-dolling spectacularly off the end of the jump at. COURTESYSandra Bogataj By RAY DUCKLER Monitor columnist Published: 4:31:03 PM For those old enough to remember. To this day, the phrase remains a broadcasting staple, whether it's coverage of the Olympics or any number of sports. COURTESYSandra Bogataj A undated photo of Vinko Bogataj ski jumping. — - It's been nearly half a century since the term 'agony of defeat' joined the lexicon of American sports.

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