VINKO BOGATAJ AGONY OF DEFEAT WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS

[@Pookatube]

RIP Jim. And Thank You for immortalizing Vinko Bogataj forever in the minds of Millions of American and International Sports Fans!

[@bryancozort2068]

Best ski wipe out in history. No one can touch this guy.

[@XRacerify]

Pfftttt..... Hold my tequilla.

[@stacythomas1587]

Vinko is still alive in 2022.

[@bryancozort2068]

@@stacythomas1587 that man is unstoppable.

[@andrew_owens7680]

Nobody that is still walking around anyway.

[@2degucitas]

He took out a couple of guys with him

[@j0hnnykn0xv1lle]

Growing up in the late 70s and early 80s - any time we crashed our sleds, when we went sledding we ALWAYS called it the "agony of defeat" out loud lol this guy is legend.

[@GregPlaskett]

Johnny Knoxville hell yeah brother. Still do it to this day when one of my buddies crashes on a mountain bike 😂

[@Alvin-1138]

We used to say it when somebody tried to get a girl's phone number!

[@XRacerify]

Try it MotoGP style THIS would be the NEW agony of defeat ! @@GregPlaskett kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3izo3ugZtODqpI

[@alanmorris7669]

I really do miss the 1970s. When I was a kid, I loved watching this TV show on Saturday with my dad. When "ABC Wide World of Sports" was coming on, I could hardly wait to see Vinko Bogataj, tumble and flip into that crowd of spectators. And everybody loved announcer, Howard Cosell because of his hilarious personality.

[@michaelquintana7142]

Me too i watched on saturdays with my dad.

[@watchjuggernaut9405]

I miss those days also…remembering watching it with my dad.

[@crysjumar1]

just realized that i don't even know who "The Thrill of Victory " guy is....but everyone knows that agony of defeat. Vinko, you are legend.

[@meadster308]

They changed the "thrill of victory" every couple of years but Vinko was always the "agony of defeat".

[@idysports]

I think the "Thrill of Victory" guy is a young George Foreman after he beats Joe Frazier in Kingston Jamaica to win the heavyweight championship of the world in 1973.

[@vicepresidentmikepence889]

They had numerous "Thrill of victory" people

[@julieliebman3741]

I wish they would bring back Wide World of Sports. It was such a great show!

[@rockvilleraven]

It was the best of the Sports Anthogy show and 3 spin offs, the Superstars which was pro athletes in Olympic style events, the American Sportsman, the first outdoors show, and the Professional Bowlers Tour which lasted over 30 years.

[@BLUTOV]

Man it was beyond awesome.

[@rockvilleraven]

Pro Bowlers Tour, got picked because that sports is one of the oldest televised and bowling was the number participation sport, American Sports covered hunting and fishing, Curt Gowdy is in the fishing hall of fame.

[@tripslft]

To this day, I’m still surprised that he lived through that.

[@scooteragnew9248]

This wipe out is the best thing that ever happened to him...no one was seriously hurt, and he bacame a legend.

[@Jaymindrew1990]

I’m amazed that all Vinko suffered from that fall was a mild concussion and a broken ankle. I’m glad he recovered and got to go to the Wild World of Sports anniversary where he got the longest and loudest standing ovation of anyone there.

[@rockvilleraven]

Ambulances must not be good there, if he was transported in the meat wagon.

[@OnTheRun167]

I wonder how many times I saw this on Saturday and Sunday mornings as a kid growing up lol

[@altfactor]

Vinko Bogataj once did an American Express credit card commercial which began with him saying "Do you know me? Every Saturday afternoon at 5 O'Clock, I fall off a ski jump", referring to "Wide World"'s longtime timeslot.

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

Its good he has a sense of the humor in things. Too many athletes take themselves so seriously. Relax, guys!

[@dik71]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@BLUTOV]

I remember that.

[@SilentKnight43]

😂😂

[@jsmcguireIII]

Just watching ski jumping on tv with my teenage son and told him how we used to see this ski jumper go ragdoll on the intro to wide world of sports on saturday mornings. And here it is! We were laughing our asses off. I love youtube!!! Go Vinko - the most famous ski jumper OF ALL TIME!!!!

[@johnrochford2934]

Every Saturday as a kid I watched this hosted by Jim McKay.

[@petermoran2832]

The commentator on that Agony of Defeat was Bud Palmer; 1921-2013, RIP

[@clintturner4995]

rember seeing this as a kid over and over

[@booperdooper6930]

Interesting fact: Muhammad Ali asked for his autograph at the 20th anniversary celebration for Wide World of Sports in 1981

[@kinglord6348]

That's awesome!!! From one sports legend to ABC sports icon

[@Jaymindrew1990]

When Vinko attended the Wide World of Sports anniversary, it is said that he got the loudest and longest standing ovation of anyone there.

[@xr4ti548]

Look out! ... Look at him go!!! ... Uhh hoooooo ... Ohh Baby!

[@goatanything]

I miss that show, it really was a first class act. RIP Jim McKay :(

[@maureensawatzki7917]

I use to watch Wide World of Sports every Saturday.

[@Retroman27]

Me too!

[@eoj5683]

All these years i never knew who the guys was but for sure brings ya back to your childhood for sure 👀

[@edpoe4591]

If you ❤️ sports you gotta remember 😎

[@jjkhawaiian]

I remember running to watch the intro once I heard the music start, no matter where I was at home. Just so I can watch the agony of defeat. Though, the whole and music was inspiring and moving. This intro doesn't have gymnast, Omg Korbet on the balance beam. Talk about discipline, determination, grit, and the smile of knowing she just won the gold medal.

[@johnjefferyialviola3537]

"...he finally returned to the place where he became famous, by accident." Very well written, sir.

[@DTD110865]

I'm so glad that this footage is still in color and still in the same lighting as it was in 1970.

[@tylerdurden639]

More famous than if he had won a gold medal in that same event. No one except those who competed in the event remembers who medalled, but everyone who watched Wide World of Sports remembers Vinko, even if they don't know his name.

[@rubedogg6969]

The announcer sounds like he's describing The Hindenberg disaster!

[@scooteragnew9248]

They should have said, "Oh the humanity!"

[@dj6927]

Glad I saw this after all these years. I always remember this on the intro to Wide world of sports and people at school saying he died from that fall. Now I know the truth. Only took me more than 30 years, but now I know.

[@SilentKnight43]

Grew up watchin' Wide World of Sports with Jim McKay - must've seen Vinko's wipeout a few hundred times. And despite the repetition...it still has the power to shock.

[@clevesc]

If you look closer, you can see that his only head protection was a nit cap. Amazing.

[@GirGir183]

0:20 "he lives a quiet life in northern yugoslavia"...in 1991. That's all about to change.

[@patriotamerica1]

Poor fella had to relive that over and over every single weekend for years on end on ABCs Wide World of Sports intro

[@Blastbarnacle]

I think I speak for everybody when I say, "OUCH!"

[@tylerjoseph8264]

He wrote a great book called “I’m Better Than This”

[@anonfrank546]

ah yes , brings back childhood memories - never will forget the thrill of defeat and the agony of victory

[@thomasmckenzie4584]

LOL

[@josetamez6970]

Every Saturday around 2 or 3 PM we gathered in the living room to watch the Wide World of Sports. I always wondered about that guy and what I was told was that he broke his neck on that fall. Now 50 years later I finally learn the truth. I guess it looks a lot worse than it really was. Man, I miss those days! Thanks!

[@ultrakool]

he later jumped 400ft. stefan kraft has the record of over 800ft, twice the distance of vinkp. that really puts things in perspective

[@damays99]

410ft... you are AWESOME Vinko!

[@yokoreia]

damays99 i

[@stillededge]

I saw this as kid. Gotta say, I remember it WAY bigger than it was. Since then I’ve seen allota sports...and many more horrific failures than this. I hope Vinko has enjoyed the fame. There is such a thing as “successful failures”. As they go, this was actually a huge success.

[@meadster308]

Successful failures, the Jamaican bobsled team did get a Miller Lite commercial.

[@nsnopper]

I just Googled Vinko. He’s still with us! Hang in there. That crash would have killed the average man. 👍👍👍👍

[@mattyal9347]

I seen this back in the seventies and up until now I thought this guy was killed

[@ChrisBakerauthor]

He had no idea he had become so well-known in the USA. One time, Bob Costas asked Jim McKay: "Where is that poor guy?"

[@AllRequired]

There he is, standing at the very edge of the Oberstdorf sign like a proud warrior. I swear to God, he looked like he was all set to try that jump all over again.

[@MartyInLa]

Glad to see he is all right. All the kids at school always said he was severely crippled by that wipe out.

[@meadster308]

That's an urban legend I never heard.

[@eddied6990]

Ooooaaoooooohhhhhhh!!!…BABY…..what a terrible fall… The commentary is as legend as the accident itself

[@moogyboy6]

We love Vinko Bogotaj because we can all identify with him; he is the sympathetic Everyman of the "Wide World" opening pantheon. The victors are few and far between, but every last one of us has had an Agony Of Defeat moment, the sudden sinkng feeling that something has gone horribly wrong, the pain, the humiliation... I daresay his epic wipeout is the essence of the human experience: you put on your brave face, you try, and very often you fail...but it's for you to fill in the blank, that you then get up and try again. And maybe, if you're lucky, the world will be there to cheer you on.

[@kirbycraft9325]

The even gave him the Wide World of Sports version of a Grammy for his wall.

[@shredlepzin1654]

Watching this sport today doesn’t even compare, still fun to watch though, used to be glued to the tv for WWoS

[@christopherwoods7891]

I remember watching that jump live at my dad's house. I can remember thinking "damn!"

[@dmmchugh3714]

53 years ago, but I remember watching Wide World of Sports every week with my family. I was in elementary school then. Seems like yesterday. 🌐 🌎 ✌️ ☮️

[@skyking1961]

Yeah tell me about it, I'm 61 now time flies faster now than then.

[@eoj5683]

Wide world of sports was really like the 1st espn type show that i member all diff sports

[@erictaylor5462]

Just to be in a position to suffer such an agony of defeat, he had to experience the thrill of victory many many times.

[@tomaszstecowicz5886]

- Oooohhh Baby!!!... (I mean) what a terrible fall!!!

[@fmontgomeryrn]

Cool story behind a very famous known athlete who now lives a very simple ordinary life.

[@altfactor]

If "Wide World" were still on the air today, chances are Vinko Bogataj's ski jump would no longer be "{The Agony Of Defeat". It probably would be replaced by the crash that cost J.R. Hildebrand the 2011 Indianapolis "500".

[@BoltManiac]

His fall was 50 years ago today.

[@rickyfan3956]

Well, I'm glad to see that he did get a good jump in that day because all I could remember of him was that terrible fall.

[@MrUnsolvedMystery]

That clip is the reason why I tuned in every week. Lol

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

One of Bogataj's students, Franci Petek (1991 world champion), wiped out in 1995 on television as well.

[@stephanielaurenbounds4958]

LOVE ski jumping - it’s as if they’re FLYING!!! 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@buzzterbrown]

Finally, this is the guy. I was thinking of him after the tragic accident in Vancouver a few days ago.

[@elshaitan1057]

Wow. It happened before I was born. I always remembered this program as a kid and the horrible fall of that fellow in the programs intro.

[@rickkilimun5430]

"HEY VINKO, YOUR JUMP'S ON AGAIN!" *in Norwegian accent* "Aw geez Ay don't vant to see te damn thing again, leave me alone!"

[@theanswerisinthebackofyourhead]

WHEN I WAS A KID. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY PLAYED THIS THING EVERY TIME YOU TURNED ON THE TV. THERE IT WAS.

[@Rrrrrrrea]

And in Slovenia, Vinko Bogataj is appreciated as one of the legends of ski jumping... He's such a joke :D

[@JLPB60]

I remember seeing that jump happen live. I am still amazed he only suffered a mild concussion from that.

[@VidMasterflex]

0:46 is the reason you came here

[@BonyFingers1969]

'''Yes Sir, Indeed it is ....~ The Agony of defeat ~ We lived threw out the 70's watching this agonizing long jump crash over and over ..how could any of us ever forget ...Nice to see he recovered ok ...

[@thruthfog]

I second what Albert said! I feel old

[@lisasilvas5914]

yep feelin old - the agony of da feet! Its all dowhill from here when you got old mans feet!

[@theanswerisinthebackofyourhead]

I remember this as a small kid. ABC played the piss out of this clip back in the 70s and 80s. It has to be the most famous wipe out of all time. I was 6 when this happened.

[@GirlsFootballFreestyle]

Ouch...I. Remember this one

[@billmoore7007]

Abc needs to go back to the way we use to know them from 80s, 90s,,nothing was better then the,,,, wide world of sports,,,,

[@thorbrayshaw1280]

I woke up out of a dead sleep because I remembered my dad watching this video with me laughing our asses off

[@chezsnailez]

Damn near took out two people on the side of that jump ramp as he was going over the side. Those are the unsung lucky bastards of the day...

[@dquinn8344]

I remember everyone saying that skier died back in the 70s during that crash. I'm glad that wasn't true...

[@a.fontaine633]

I would never forget watching that fall as a kid

[@claysmith3370]

Vinko had no chance of winning a medal, so in a sense, his wreck was the victory he was looking for because he became famous. Of course he had no idea at the time that his wreck would be watched by millions every Sunday afternoon for the next twenty years.

[@cultfilmfreakreviews]

his fall was famous, but he never was. it was only until the internet that we'd be able to search "the agony of defeat" guy to find his name. I know Mohomad Ali got his autograph, but they were at a convention and I'm sure he was told. it's not like anyone could say, "hey, you're that guy?" he had a ski mask on.

[@vickilabriola2323]

@@cultfilmfreakreviews Exactly. Those were the best years of our lives.

[@altfactor]

I'm pretty sure that the voices of the play-by-commentators from the original 1970 competition excerpted in that clip were Bud Palmer and former ski jumping champ Art Devlin.

[@markbrown4039]

"Look out! Oh, look at him go!" "Ohhh baby...what a terrible fall!"

[@1left2theright4jc9]

We have better and more of everything now .. but Nothing is as good as it was in the 1970s .. Actual conversation- daughter is on couch disgusted.."Dad there is nothing on " yes ur right we have 4000 channels and there isnt ever anything on ..in 1970s we had 4 channels and there was always something good on.

[@HoganCourrier]

I remember this, it used to be on the theme intro of wide world of sports

[@59plexi]

i was 4 in '74....even being that young i knew that was a wild wipe-out

[@crysjumar1]

i think this might be the most famous sports guy ever (that no one knows).

[@xxLabrat407xx]

Well I don't know if EVERYONE watched it EVERY SATURDAY but I remember it..that commentator's "Woooah baby!" gets me each time!! ROFL "Smak"

[@jaysoper3974]

what a way to get famous

[@DonReedProductions]

His video ran every time this program aired.

[@lonniegammon1149]

Every Sunday night until 90s

[@zelezniklemen]

to all of u, i know him and he is still lives.

[@bubbiesdad]

I remember seeing this when it happened.

[@crysjumar1]

just saw that information today. awesome

[@JaniceCarter-ws7lu]

Four hundred and 10 ft..He survived it and went on after he healed❤

[@gettyfanatic8860]

Still going. Nothing outlasts the Energizer. It keeps going and going and going and going and... (repeated a few times)

[@gastonbell108]

Go to 0:52, set speed to 0.25x and watch the guy crouching against the jump ramp. He's very lucky to be alive.

[@freein2339]

That was cold-blooded

[@Goohuman]

I've heard he was ditching the run. He was embarrassed about it afterwards but much later he says the jumps had been getting longer and longer and he had some fear that he could injure himself worse by landing on the flat on the bottom at full speed, so he baled. Seems plausible.

[@cultfilmfreakreviews]

a plausible... excuse? reason? or rationalization?

[@medros74]

It does look like he ditched at the last moment. He seems to just throw on the brakes and just lay it down like he’s on a Super Bike. And then he high sided it going off the ramp.

[@krankrocker]

Ah, the 70s! We didn't need no stinking helmets!

[@ucfkid67]

That looks like me after a hard night of beer and hot wings with goat cheese at 1:28 and on. Whew.

[@rdfox76]

No, Vinko would still be the one. However, Hildebrand would probably be the *second* clip for it, the one that immediately followed that, traditionally, was another agony-of-defeat moment.

[@troyturner173]

Yep-Vinko was too identified with that. Even after WWOS was canceled as a series, ABC used WWOS as a catch-all theme for weekend sports programming-and Vinko was there, too

[@jarrodbarkley9061]

He never imagined he'd be famous for that reason!

[@paulrinehart4262]

What in the wide world of sports is going on around here!!🤣

[@skyking1961]

Hired you guys to lay a little track!

[@BLUTOV]

This is the human personification of Yosemite Sam falling down stairs...each step he hit, clothing jarred loose from him. What a wipe out.

[@stpaulimdog]

Duun Duun Duun Dun Dun Dun Dun Duuuuuuun! I still hum it every time I see a fall.

[@1976P]

That's almost as funny as the fall itself.

[@johnmac3410]

Now I know his name "Vinko". We used to call him Mr. Agony.

[@HeyRadialMoon]

He bailed on the jump, pure and simple.