The quiet end of a special ski career

An interview after inspecting the route is part of the routine when reporting on the Alpine Ski World Cup. The athletes stand in front of the camera and talk about the condition of the track, their equipment and their expectations. Matthias Mayer did something similar in Bormio: “The slopes are good, I’m fit.” What followed then impressed the interviewer ORF however, lost the language. He, Mayer, has thought a bit over the last few days and decided to retire from alpine ski racing ( SportNews berichtete ) . This caused a shock in the Austrian Ski Association; no one had been informed about this decision in advance.

Mayer was often good for special moments in his career. Since childhood, his entire life has been shaped by alpine ski racing. He was introduced to this by his father, who was once a successful racer himself. An Olympic silver medal from 1988 and a silver medal from the World Championships in Vail from 1989, which hang in the Mayer house, bear witness to this. The father, who had won a World Cup race in his career, already knew how to focus on special moments.

This is even more true for his son, whose star rose at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi at the age of 23. Without having previously won a World Cup race, the Carinthian, who always seemed rather reserved, won Olympic gold in the downhill.

Matthias Mayer sensationally won downhill gold in 2014 ahead of Christof Innerhofer (l.) and Kjetil Jansrud (r.). © APA/epa / HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

“Now we finally have an Olympic downhill champion again,” said the then ÖSV sports director Hans Pum, beaming with joy. At the following two Olympic Games, Mayer won a gold medal in the Super-G. In terms of Olympic gold, he reached the level of Toni Sailer. Apart from him, only the Italian Deborah Compagnoni and the Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt managed to win gold at three different Winter Games. Mayer's record in the World Cup is also impressive with 15 victories. In 2020 he won the Hahnenkamm downhill run in Kitzbühel, which is particularly important in Austria.

After an illness in 2012, it was questionable whether the young athlete would be able to continue his career. He pursued his path without making any fuss about himself. He also did this after a serious training fall in Val Gardena in 2015, in which he fractured several vertebrae. His faith may have encouraged him to consistently pursue his goals.

Deep faith and social commitment Because Matthias Mayer is an avowed Catholic, which is quite unusual for an athlete these days. His fan club is characterized by social commitment. The Olympic victories were celebrated not only with a festival, but also with a mass in his home community of Afritz. “The Olympic champion is firmly rooted in his faith,” the local parish website proudly reports. The family - especially his mother - lives this faith through social commitment, for example by taking in two Iraqi refugee families, which they accomplished together with friends in 2015.

Matthias Mayer will probably continue to devote himself to such tasks in the future. At least that's what his answer to the reporter's question suggests what he'll do now that his career is over: live.

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The quiet end of a special ski career

When the men's races in Wengen take place next weekend, the last winner of the Lauberhorn combination will be missing. Austria's ski star Matthias Mayer made a memorable farewell in Bormio that will resonate for a long time.

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