Hermann Maier

Hermann Maier (born 7 December 1972) is an Austrian former World Cup champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. Nicknamed the "Herminator", Maier ranks among the greatest alpine ski racers in history. He won four overall World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals, along with three World Championship titles.

Maier achieved 54 World Cup race victories, placing him third on the men's all-time list. Until 2023, he held the record for the most points in one season by a male alpine skier, with 2000 points from the 2000 season. His success made him one of the most celebrated athletes in the sport.

Early years

Hermann Maier didn’t start out as a top skier. When he was 15 and training at the Schladming ski academy, coaches sent him home because they thought he was too small to succeed. He went back to his hometown of Flachau, where his father ran a ski school. During summer, he worked as a bricklayer, and in winter, he taught skiing.

Maier kept racing in local events and won many titles in Salzburg and Tyrol, but still wasn’t part of Austria’s strong World Cup team. Everything changed on January 6, when he surprised everyone with a fast time in a giant slalom race in Flachau, even though he wasn’t even competing. This caught the attention of Austrian coaches, and just two days later, he placed second in a race in Les Arcs. He then won the very next day. Even though he joined late, he ended up winning the overall Europa Cup title and the giant slalom season title that year.

Ski career

Hermann Maier began his World Cup skiing career at age 23 and quickly became a top racer. He won his first World Cup race in 1997 and later that year, he won gold medals in two events at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Despite a scary fall during a race, he continued to compete and won many titles.

Maier won four overall World Cup titles and many race victories. In 2001, he had a serious accident on a motorcycle, but after surgery, he returned to skiing. He kept winning races and became known as a strong and determined athlete. Maier retired in 2009 after many years of impressive performances in alpine skiing.

World Cup results

Hermann Maier won 14 big titles in his skiing career, including 4 overall titles, 2 downhill titles, 5 super-G titles, and 3 giant slalom titles.

He had 54 race wins in total: 15 downhill, 24 super-G, 14 giant slalom, and 1 combined. He also stood on the podium 96 times.

World Championship results

Olympic results

Besides skiing

Hermann Maier won the 2001 Superstars competition, showing his skills in many sports. He also appears in TV ads for his sponsor bank Raiffeisen. His brother, Alexander Maier, competed for Austria in the Winter Olympics. Maier even took part in the 2003 Tour de France, riding the first short race ahead of the main group. He finished the 6.5 km individual time trial in 8 minutes and 44 seconds. The winner of that stage was Bradley McGee, and the last cyclist finished in 8 minutes and 26 seconds.

Video

Here are some videos you can watch to see Hermann Maier race:

• YouTube.com – Hahnenkamm race – 9th place – January 24, 2004
• YouTube.com – 1998 Olympics – Nagano downhill race and giant slalom race – gold medal