Rosi Mittermaier facts for kids
| Alpine skier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mittermaier in 2014
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| Disciplines | Downhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 5 August 1950 Munich, Bavaria, West Germany |
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| Died | 4 January 2023 (aged 72) Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany |
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| Height | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 1 February 1967 (age 16) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 31 May 1976 (age 25) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 – (1968, 1972, 1976) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 5 – (1968–76) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 4 (3 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 10 – (1967–1976) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Rosa Anna Katharina Mittermaier-Neureuther (born August 5, 1950 – died January 4, 2023) was a very famous German alpine skier. She was the best skier in the world, winning the overall World Cup in 1976. She also won two gold medals at the 1976 Winter Olympics.
Rosi Mittermaier competed in alpine skiing from 1967 to 1976. She stopped skiing professionally after her amazing 1976 season. In that year, she won two Olympic gold medals and was ranked first in the World Cup. She stayed popular after retiring, working in sports advertising and writing books. People often called her Gold-Rosi because of her success. In April 2006, she was added to Germany's Sports Hall of Fame.
Contents
Rosi Mittermaier's Life and Career
Rosi Mittermaier was born in Munich, Germany. She grew up in a place called Reit im Winkl. Her father was a certified skiing instructor. He also owned a skiing school starting in 1966. He was the first person to train Rosi and her sisters to ski.
Her Racing Career
Rosi Mittermaier started her World Cup career in 1967. This was the very first year of the World Cup. She won her first World Cup race two seasons later.
At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, she won two gold medals. These were for the downhill and slalom races. She also won a silver medal in the giant slalom. Her downhill win at the Olympics was the only downhill victory in her whole international career. Rosi was the most successful athlete at those games. She shared this honor with Raisa Smetanina, a cross-country skier from the Soviet Union. This is why she earned the nickname Gold-Rosi in Germany.
Besides winning the overall World Cup title, she also won the season titles in slalom and combined in 1976. After winning two races at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the ski resort named a race course after her. She also won 16 German national titles during her career.
On May 31, 1976, Rosi Mittermaier retired from international skiing. She was 25 years old. She decided to retire after her very successful 1976 season.
Life After Skiing
After her amazing sports career, Rosi Mittermaier joined a big sports management company. She was the only German athlete there, alongside other famous sports stars. For three years, she designed winter sports clothes. She also traveled internationally to promote different skiing products. She wrote non-fiction books, often with her husband. She worked for several charities and sometimes commented on sports events for German television. In 2000, she started a charity to help children with rheumatism.
Family Life
Rosi Mittermaier was born with a twin sister, but her twin sadly died at birth. Her younger sister, Evi Mittermaier, was also an alpine skier. Rosi and Evi even recorded two albums of traditional Bavarian folk songs together.
In 1980, Rosi married Christian Neureuther. He was also a successful ski racer who won six World Cup slalom races. They have a son named Felix Neureuther, born in 1984, who also became a World Cup ski racer for Germany. Their daughter, Ameli, works as a fashion designer.
Rosi Mittermaier passed away in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on January 4, 2023. She was 72 years old.
Awards and Honors
Rosi Mittermaier received many awards for her achievements:
- 1976: German Sportswoman of the Year
- 1999: Olympic Order
- 2001: Goldene Sportpyramide (a special sports award)
- 2005: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (a high German honor)
- 2006: Inducted into Germany's Sports Hall of Fame
- 2007: Bavarian Order of Merit
She was also made an honorary citizen of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Reit im Winkl, the towns she lived in.
Images for kids
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Mittermaier (right) and her husband with figure skater Aljona Savchenko in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Rosi Mittermaier para niños
