From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hermann Maier (born December 7, 1972) is an Austrian skier who has won 3 World Cup (overall) titles and ranks among Jean-Claude Killy, Ingemar Stenmark and Franz Klammer as greats of the sport.
Career
Born in Flachau, Austria, the road to the top was not always apparent for the young Hermann when he attended the Schladming ski academy. The 15-year old was sent home and told he wouldn’t make it because of his slight build. He returned home to his father’s ski school in Flachau and took up work as a bricklayer.
Putting that behind him, he entered the national ski championships in 1994 at the age of 21 and destroyed the rest of the field. Two years later he began his international career and landed a spot on the Austrian team. In 1997 he won his first World Cup event - a super-G race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He quickly established himself as an explosive and dynamic skier willing to take risks.
Since then he has dominated the sport, winning the gold medal in the giant-slalom and super-G at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. In the same year he won the super-G World Cup and the overall World Cup. He went on to the win the overall World Cup in 2000 and 2001.
However, all that success could not have prepared him for the near-fatal motorbike accident he suffered in August 2001. Doctors were close to amputating his leg, but instead Maier underwent massive reconstructive surgery. Many thought his career was over, and he sat out the 2001-2002 season and missed the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Only a true champion could have made a comeback from such injuries, and Hermann did just that, securing the 2003-2004 super-G title.
If Maier goes on to win more World Cup titles, it will be one of the all-time great comebacks.
Achievements
- World Cup (overall) - 1998, 2000 and 2001
- World Cup super-G - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004
- World Cup giant-slalom - 1998, 2000, 2001
- World Cup downhill - 2000 and 2001
- 1998 Winter Olympics - super-G gold medal
- 1998 Winter Olympics - giant-slalom gold medal
- 1999 World Championships - downhill gold
- 1999 World Championships - super-G gold
