ST. LOUIS — As I sat across from Vinko Bogataj at a St. Louis coffeeshop, I just kept thinking — how the hell is he here today?
Not because the 74-year-old man lives in a small village in Slovenia, but, like — how did he survive that crash in the first place?
See, Bogataj is "the agony of defeat" guy. For sports fans of a certain generation, he was a notable part of their world (well, wide world).
From the early 1970s until the late 1990s, Bogataj was featured in the opening to the TV show "Wide World of Sports" on ABC. The program was as much a part of American Saturdays as college football and "SNL." And before every show, the narrator said: "Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport — the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."
The accompanying footage, timed with "the agony of defeat," showed the then-Yugoslavian skier during a jump. At a dangerously high speed downhill, he lost his footing and violently wiped out, his skis whipping around almost like a propeller. He sailed off the side of the slope, taking down a huge sign with him. He crashed into the snow and his entire body bounced again and again down the mountainside.
He was faceless but famous, nameless but internationally known. He became forever associated with sports failure — but also respected for his athletic perseverance. Incredibly, he only broke one bone, and he returned to ski jumping competition for the next couple years. Recreationally, he still skis to this day.
He did suffer a concussion, in part because — and this is wild to believe in 2022 — he was only wearing a stocking cap.
"I would be much happier if people would know me for some world record or something," Bogataj said Monday through the translation of his friend Benka Pulko. "But I'm aware that records are broken or forgotten — and this is never forgotten."
Bogataj first met Pulko and her husband, Keith Carr, about eight years ago. Carr often wondered about Bogataj's whereabouts. They lived in Europe at the time, and Pulko is from Slovenia, so they looked him up.
"He said, 'come over!'" said Pulko, who is also famously adventurous — she set a Guinness World Record with a motorcycle ride that took her to all seven continents. "People in Slovenia are very open. We're going to eat and drink and be merry. And that's exactly what we did. We spent the whole evening by talking far into the night."
A friendship blossomed. In the ensuing years, Carr and Pulko moved to Missouri — Carr's home state — and bought a farm in Park Hills, which is about an hour from St. Louis. Bogataj planned to visit our nation's northeast this September — so they arranged for him to come to Missouri, too. They went on hikes and told old stories.
"Our dogs were in love with him," Pulko said. "And we presented him Missouri wines, because every Slovenian knows wine — so we tried to merge the knowledge. He really loved Hellbender from Stone Hill."
Bogataj's unforgettable crash happened in March 1970. He was on the Yugoslavian national team, competing in Oberstdorf, West Germany. He was young. Not very experienced. He was, if you will, over his skis.
After the crash, though, it was said that he actually asked to try the jump again.
"Yes, this is true," Bogataj said Monday. "I wanted to — but they didn't let me. ... I was so full of adrenaline, I didn't feel anything."
He wasn't a professional skier at the time. He worked a day job for a company making chains. He continued to ski jump for a couple years, but the more time passed since the crash, the more he realized how lucky he was to have survived. And — could it happen again? He wanted a family. So, he decided to cease competing.
But he continued to crash every Saturday afternoon.
"The first thing that went through my head was — why is this so interesting to people?" Bogataj said of the famous footage. "To us as jumpers, we were used to problems like this, we were falling (sometimes). Nowadays, I do understand why. I understand a lot of encouragement comes from — how the hell did you do it? You did it and survived."
In 1981, he was invited to attend a 20-year anniversary celebration for "Wide World of Sports." He met Muhammad Ali — who asked for Bogataj's autograph.
"The whole event felt like it was on some other planet," Bogataj said. "The spirit of the event, how they invited me and accepted me, I still play it over and over in my head. I can't believe it."
In the 1990s, "Wide World of Sports" sent a crew to Slovenia to interview Bogataj. As he drove to the interview site, Bogataj got in a minor car accident. When he finally got to the interview, he said: "Every time I'm on ABC, I crash!"
In Slovenia, Bogataj worked and coached ski jumping for years. He and his wife raised two daughters. He discovered painting, notably watercolors, and became quite accomplished.
Over coffee, I had to ask him: The crash was 50-plus years ago, but do you still sometimes feel you're lucky to be alive?
"Oh yes! Often!" he said through Pulko's translation. "If it had been just slightly different, the story and outcome could have been different."
"Well," I said, "I'm glad you're here!"
And in the little English he knows, Bogataj said: "So am I!"
