What does Klaus Maran actually do?

Klaus Maran was world champion on the wind glider in 1979, 1980 and 1982. In 1984, when windsurfing became an Olympic discipline for the first time, the South Tyrolean was one of the favourites for the gold medal. In the end, Stephan van den Berg from Holland took the gold medal, while Maran finished in a thankless fourth place. The course racer then surfed for two more years in the Euro Funboard and World Cup before devoting himself entirely to building up his "empire" (cafe and restaurant "Gretl am See", outdoor pool, surf school and shop) on Lake Kaltern. Maran (44) hasn't been on a board for 13 years, but now the wine lover has rediscovered windsurfing for himself.

You recently got back on the board. What has inspired you?

KLAUS: After a serious accident, I had a lot of time to think. It can't just be work. I got back on the board in Sardinia, where my wife is from.

Your wife Manuela was also very successful and was world champion on the windsurfer in 1980 and on the windglider in 1982. Does she still surf? Much more often than I do, as Lake Kaltern is right on our doorstep. Klaus, let's take a look back. In 1984, you and the whole of Italy were expecting gold at the Olympic Games. What went wrong back then? After five one-day victories in the pre-Olympic Games, I probably put myself under too much pressure. I then went on a diet and lost from 80 to 67 kilos. In LA, I missed the first two races, which added to my frustration. On the rest day I ate properly and won the next race, but that didn't help. You then surfed in the World Cup for another season. Why only for such a short time? I was in the Mistral team back then, which was great. I was able to keep up well in the course races, but all in all I was out of steam after the games. Did you have any role models back then? Thomas Staltmeier was my idol (the ed.: Staltmeier from Seefeld near Munich was two-time European and World Champion in 1980), the guy was brilliant on the board. He was also a cool guy back then, he only wore trousers and a T-shirt and always walked around barefoot.

You used to surf consistently without a harness. Was that pure strength or just cool? I imagined I was faster without it because the rig was more upright. Still without a harness today? No, definitely not, the current sails immediately pull you over the board in windy conditions. What do you think of the current Formula Windsurfing racing equipment? Boards that are one metre wide and sails up to 12.5 square metres in size? An extreme development - like the displacers with the round underwater hull back then. Other things are fun. Naish and Dunkerbeck are currently trying to break the speed record. Pure madness or reality? That gives them another kick. If they break the record, they'll be immortal. What will you do next? Create a new type of wine or open a new restaurant? Get on a surfboard more often, and I'd also like to learn how to kitesurf. I see a lot of young people surfing here on Lake Kaltern. How are things at your surf school? More are coming back to the sport. However, they only want to do tricks, unfortunately they are no longer interested in racing. That's a shame. Interview and photos: Alois Mühlegger

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What does Klaus Maran actually do?

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