Matthias MAYER

Historical Results

Mothl (olympedia.org)

Mountain biking. (oesv.at)

Athlete

Father, Helmut. Mother, Margret.

German, English

Ski Club Gerlitzen

Father Helmut Mayer (Alpine skiing): Won three global silver medals, in super-G at Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, giant slalom at the World Championships in 1989, and Junior World Championships in 1984.

2005 Passo Monte Croce Cornelico (Slalom - 38th)
2009 World Cup in Sestriere (Alpine combined - 43rd)

February 2018: At the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, he injured a hip sliding into a cameraman in the finish area during the Alpine combined slalom. The defending champion in downhill, he started in that event a few days later but was hampered by hip pain. But he came back later to win gold in the super-G. (usatoday.com, 18 Feb 2021)

December 2015: Fractured two thoracic vertebrae after crashing in a World Cup downhill at Val Gardena. He was airlifted by helicopter, underwent surgery, and was released 11 days later. He did not return to competition until the 2016/17 season. At the time he was wearing a new safety vest under his racing suit that featured an airbag to protect athletes in a crash. It was the first time a personal airbag had inflated during a crash in a World Cup race. (ap.org, 19 Dec 2015)

“Something has certainly changed as a result of the fall. It was a big injury and not an easy time. I was just about to jump to the top of the world, and I had already celebrated great victories before that, but there were still one or two athletes who were faster here and there. Maybe I wanted the track too much, then the fall occurred. After that, I had a different perspective on skiing and became more relaxed. Today I see it differently, but as a young person you can quickly become over-motivated." (skiweltcup.tv, 10 Sep 2020)

October 2015: Injuries to both legs in a safety airbag deployment while training in the Pitztaler glacier in Austria. (ap.org, 19 Dec 2015)

2012: Ankle surgery. During his recovery, he contracted reactive arthritis, which resulted in the weakening of his body due to a fever and inflammation. He lost 15 kilograms, and he was unable to return to training until November 2012. (diepresse.com, 25 Jan 2013)

2007

Since his father, Helmut, was an Olympic silver medallist and a star on the Austrian ski team, he has been skiing his whole life, having started at age two. Then he would go out with his friends on the mountain every day. At 10, he began to race every weekend. "We had one or two races and then there was more and more every year, and of course my father was my trainer, especially at the beginning. It was always a good time.” (mpora.com, 26 Mar 2018)

Family influence.

“I always dreamt about getting one Olympic medal, and going to PyeongChang I already had that gold. It was never my dream to win a second gold.” (mpora.com, 26 Mar 2018)

Was trained by his father up to the age of 17 and was part of every race in the European Cup. Since he has been in the World Cup, his father has not been coaching him. (kurier.at, 15 Feb 2014)

Despite having won twice (super-G and downhill) on his sport's most legendary venue in Kitzbuehel, he values his Olympic gold medals more. “Of course, the ski World Cup and racing successes in Austria, especially in Kitzbuehel, are important and something very special, but victory at the Olympic Games is one step above that. The Games only take place every four years and are the biggest for an athlete. As an Olympic champion, you simply have a different status internationally. For example, when I'm in America and tell people about skiing, very few people know what it is and that there is even a World Cup. On the other hand, people can relate to an Olympic champion, they can imagine something under it." (skiweltcup.tv, 10 Sep 2020)

“The Olympics are so special. It’s not like in the World Cup where we’re a bunch of guys who meet each other every day on a World Cup slope. There are so many sports and so many people. It’s something different because you can see how hard everyone else works, not just the people in your own sport, and for me that’s what makes it so special.” (mpora.com, 26 Mar 2018)