Mario Matt facts for kids
| Alpine skier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matt during January 2007 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup competitions in Schladming, Styria, Austria
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| Disciplines | Slalom, giant slalom, combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | SC Arlberg – Tirol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 April 1979 Zams, Tyrol, Austria |
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| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 21 December 1999 (age 20) |
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| Retired | 12 March 2015 (age 35) |
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| Website | mariomatt.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 – (2006, 2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 8 – (2001–15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 5 (3 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 16 – (2000–15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 15 – (14 SL, 1 SC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 42 – (1 GS, 40 SL, 1 SC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (5th in 2007) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – (2nd in SL, 2007) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Mario Matt (born on April 9, 1979) is a famous former alpine ski racer from Austria. He competed in the World Cup and won an Olympic gold medal. Alpine skiing involves racing down snowy mountains on skis.
Contents
Mario Matt's Ski Racing Career
Mario Matt was born in Zams, a town in Tyrol, Austria. He started his World Cup career in December 1999 when he was 20 years old. The World Cup is a series of international ski races.
Amazing Wins and Records
Mario Matt won 15 World Cup races during his career. Most of these wins (14) were in slalom, which is a technical race where skiers go through many gates. He also won one race in super combined, which mixes different types of skiing.
He became a world champion in slalom twice, first in 2001 and again in 2007. Mario Matt had a very long and successful career as a top slalom skier. He is known for being one of the oldest skiers to win an Olympic gold medal in slalom. He achieved this at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, when he was 34 years old.
He also holds a record for the third-longest time between his first and last World Cup victories. This shows how long he stayed at the top of the sport! Mario Matt announced he was retiring from ski racing on March 12, 2015.
World Cup Season Results
This table shows how Mario Matt performed in the World Cup seasons.
| Season | Age | Overall Rank | Slalom Rank | Giant Slalom Rank |
Super-G Rank | Downhill Rank | Combined Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20 | 23 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | 21 | 17 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 2002 | 22 | 29 | 8 | 37 | — | — | — |
| 2003 | 23 | 91 | 35 | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | 24 | 23 | 6 | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | 25 | 29 | 6 | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | 26 | 36 | 16 | 23 | — | — | 32 |
| 2007 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 25 | — | — | 11 |
| 2008 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 15 | — | — | 29 |
| 2009 | 29 | 29 | 7 | 40 | — | — | — |
| 2010 | 30 | 85 | 31 | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | 31 | 20 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | 32 | 28 | 7 | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | 33 | 21 | 6 | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 34 | 27 | 6 | — | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 35 | 96 | 29 | — | — | — | — |
World Cup Race Victories
Mario Matt won 15 World Cup races in total. He also stood on the podium (finished in the top three) 42 times!
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23 Jan 2000 |  Kitzbühel, Austria |
Slalom |
| 9 Mar 2000 | Schladming, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 2001 | 19 Dec 2000 |  Madonna di Campiglio, Italy |
Slalom |
| 2002 | 26 Nov 2001 |  Aspen, USA |
Slalom |
| 2005 | 13 Mar 2005 |  Lenzerheide, Switzerland |
Slalom |
| 2007 | 14 Jan 2007 | Wengen, Switzerland |
Super combined |
| 25 Feb 2007 |  Garmisch, Germany |
Slalom | |
| 4 Mar 2007 |  Kranjska Gora, Slovenia |
Slalom | |
| 2008 | 6 Jan 2008 | Adelboden, Switzerland |
Slalom |
| 22 Jan 2008 | Schladming, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 17 Feb 2008 |  Zagreb, Croatia |
Slalom | |
| 2009 | 14 Mar 2009 |  Åre, Sweden |
Slalom |
| 2011 | 27 Feb 2011 |  Bansko, Bulgaria |
Slalom |
| 6 Mar 2011 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia |
Slalom | |
| 2014 | 15 Dec 2013 |  Val d'Isère, France |
Slalom |
World Championships Results
The World Championships are another major competition for alpine skiers. Mario Matt won three gold medals and two silver/bronze medals at these events.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 21 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 |
| 2003 | 23 | DNF1 | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | 25 | DNF1 | — | — | — | 11 |
| 2007 | 27 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 |
| 2009 | 29 | DNF1 | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | 33 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 35 | DNF1 | — | — | — | — |
Olympic Results
Mario Matt competed in the Winter Olympics, which is the biggest sports event in the world. He won a gold medal in 2014!
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 22 | injured: did not compete | |||||
| 2006 | 26 | DNF1 | — | — | — | 34 | |
| 2010 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | 34 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Life After Skiing
After retiring from ski racing, Mario Matt started a new career in business. In 2009, he bought a bar called Krazy Kanguruh at the Arlberg ski resort in St. Anton, Austria. He also has a stable where he breeds Arabian horses.
Mario Matt's Family
Mario Matt comes from a family of skiers! His brother, Andreas Matt, is also a famous athlete who won an Olympic silver medal in skicross. Another brother, Michael Matt, is also an alpine skier.
See also
In Spanish: Mario Matt para niños
- List of Olympic medalist families
