Rosi Mittermaier

Rosa Anna Katharina "Rosi" Mittermaier-Neureuther (German pronunciation: [ˈʁozi ˈmɪtɐˌmaɪ̯ɐ], audio ; born 5 August 1950) is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Germany. She was the overall World Cup champion in 1976 and a double gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics.[3]

Rosi Mittermaier

Alpine skier
Mittermaier and husband Christian Neureuther in May 2013
Disciplines	Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Combined
Born	5 August 1950 Reit im Winkl, Bavaria, West Germany
Height	1.59 m (5 ft 3 in)
World Cup debut	1 February 1967 (age 16)
Retired	31 May 1976 (age 25)[1][2]
Website	rosi-mittermaier.de
Olympics
Teams	3 – (1968, 1972, 1976)
Medals	3 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	5 – (1968–76) includes 3 Olympics
Medals	4 (3 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	10 – (1967–76)
Wins	10 – (1 GS, 8 SL, 1 K)
Podiums	41 – (4 DH, 11 GS, 22 SL, 4 K)
Overall titles	1 – (1976)
Discipline titles	2 – (SL & K in 1976)
Medal record Women's alpine skiing Representing  West Germany Olympic Games 1976 Innsbruck Downhill 1976 Innsbruck Slalom 1976 Innsbruck Giant Slalom World Championships 1976 Innsbruck Combined

Racing career

Born in Reit im Winkl, Bavaria, Mittermaier won two gold medals (downhill and slalom) and one silver (giant slalom) at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.[4][5] Her victory in the Olympic downhill was the only downhill win in her international career. Mittermaier was the most successful athlete at those games, along with cross-country skier Raisa Smetanina of the Soviet Union, earning her the nickname of Gold-Rosi within Germany (then West Germany).

Mittermaier made her World Cup debut in the inaugural season of 1967 at age 16, and won her first World Cup race two seasons later. She retired from international competition at age 25,[1] following the very successful 1976 season. In addition to the overall World Cup title, she also won the season title in slalom and combined in 1976. After winning both races at Copper Mountain in Colorado to wrap up the overall and slalom titles,[6] the four-year-old resort immediately named the race course run after her.[7][8]

In addition to her success in international competition, she also won 16 German national titles during her career.[9]

After racing

Today, Mittermaier works for several charities and occasionally as a commentator for German television for major sporting events. She established a charitable foundation to aid children with rheumatism in 2000.[9]

Personal life

Mittermaier's father was a ski school operator in her home town of Reit-im-Winkl.[10] She was born with a twin sister who died at birth. Her younger sister Evi Mittermaier also competed as an alpine skier and previously lived in a hotel.[9][10] Rosi and Evi also recorded two albums of Bavarian folk songs together.[9]

She is married to Christian Neureuther, winner of six World Cup slalom races. They were wed in 1980 and are the parents of Felix Neureuther (b. 1984), a World Cup ski racer for Germany.[3]

World Cup results

Season standings

Season	Age	Overall	Slalom	Giant Slalom	Super G	Downhill	Combined
1967	16	27	19	—	not run	—	not awarded
1968	17	12	11	8		—
1969	18	7	4	11		5
1970	19	11	8	10		12
1971	20	14	13	9		15
1972	21	6	4	7		10
1973	22	4	2	8		9
1974	23	7	2	13		11
1975	24	3	7	7		6
1976	25	1	1	3		9	1

Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).

Season titles

Season	Discipline
1976	Overall
	Slalom
	Combined

Race victories

• 10 wins – (1 GS, 8 SL, 1 K)
• 41 podiums – (4 DH, 11 GS, 22 SL, 4 K)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline
1969	16 Jan 1969	Schruns, Austria	Slalom
1970	14 Mar 1970	Voss, Norway	Slalom
1973	2 Feb 1973	Schruns, Austria	Slalom
1974	27 Feb 1974	Abetone, Italy	Slalom
	8 Mar 1974	Vysoké Tatry, Czechoslovakia	Slalom
1975	13 Dec 1974	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Slalom
1976	17 Dec 1975		Combined
	22 Jan 1976	Bad Gastein, Austria	Slalom
	5 Mar 1976	Copper Mountain, USA	Giant Slalom
	6 Mar 1976		Slalom

World championship results

Year	Age	Slalom	Giant  Slalom	Super-G	Downhill	Combined
1968	17	DNF2	20	not run	25	—
1970	19	15	7		20	5
1972	21	17	12		6	7
1974	23	6	DNF		DNF	—
1976	25	1	2		1	1

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).

Olympic results

Year	Age	Slalom	Giant  Slalom	Super-G	Downhill	Combined
1968	17	DNF2	20	not run	25	not run
1972	21	17	12		6
1976	25	1	2		1

Video

• 1976 Winter Olympics – Rosi Mittermaier's three medal runs on YouTube

References

1. "Rosi Mittermaier retires from racing". Ottawa Citizen. Reuters. 1 June 1976. p. 27.
2. "'Grandma' Rosi out of racing". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 1 June 1976. p. 21.
3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rosi Mittermaier". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
4. Johnson, William Oscar (16 February 1976). "On came the heroes". Sports Illustrated: 13.
5. Johnson, William Oscar (23 February 1976). "Opening up those golden gates". Sports Illustrated. p. 12.
6. "Mittermaier wins World Cup". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. 7 March 1976. p. 3B.
7. "Rosi has run named for her". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 8 March 1976. p. 20.
8. Looney, Douglas S. (15 March 1976). "Adding a title to a triumph". Sports Illustrated: 18.
9. Cazeneuve, Brian (18 February 2012). "2002 Winter Olympics – SI Daily: Where are they now? Rosi Mittermaier". CNNSI. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
10. Scott, Ronald B. (7 March 1977). "Rosi Mittermaier Parlays Olympic Gold into Fame and Wealth". People. Retrieved 28 December 2013.

External links

• Rosi Mittermaier at the International Ski Federation
• Rosi Mittermaier – 1967–76 World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
• Rosi Mittermaier at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
• Rosi Mittermaier at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
• Rosi Mittermaier at the International Olympic Committee
• Official website (in German)