Home » Sports & Recreation » Sporting Events » Olympic Games

Hermann Maier

Ranked #2,197 in Sports & Recreation, #59,607 overall

The "Herminator"

One of the biggest skiing names from the past 10 years has been Hermann Maier.  In his career, he earned a bronze, a silver, and two gold Olympic medals.  He won numerous World Cup competitions.  He overcame accidents and adversity.  His toughness rightly earned him the nickname "the Herminator".

In October 2009, he announced his retirement.  Vancouver 2010 Olympic skiers may miss him, but at the same time, they may also be breathing a sigh of relief, as one of their toughest competitors will not be entering the competition.

Bumpy Start.

Hermann Maier was one of the biggest skiing names of the first decade of the 21st century, but he didn't start out that way. Although he started skiing at age 5, as a teenager, he was told that he wouldn't amount to anything as a skier because of his build. He didn't let a little rejection get in the way of his dreams, however. He chose to attend his father's ski school in Flachau instead. He started to participate local races, and started winning regionally. At age 23, he started to receive recognition from the Australian coaches. He soon started competing in world cup races.

World Cup Wins

After he was first noticed by the Austrian coaches, Hermann Maier began to compete. In his first race in February 1996, he placed 26th, but he wouldn't stay at the back of the pack for long. In February 1997, he won his first event in the World Cup: a Super G race. He continued to work hard, and began to dominate the world of alpine skiing.

1998 Nagano Crash

Perhaps the Herminator got his nickname after this spectacular crash in the downhill race at Nagano. Although many people would have been out of the Olympics at that point, Hermann Maier went on to later win two gold medals. The second part of the video shows him a few days later, winning his first Olympic Gold medal in the Super G.
powered by Youtube

A Bigger Crash

Hermann Maier recovered spectacularly from his crash at Nagano, but that was not to be his only spectacular accident. In August 2001, he was sideswiped by a car while riding his motorcycle. He wasn't able to walk away from that crash to hit the slopes the next day; in fact, he almost lost his leg. Skillful surgeons were able to save his leg from amputation. He required several skin grafts, and a titanium rod was installed in his leg.

This accident caused him to miss the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

A lesser person would have called it a day and would have settled for walking again, but not the Herminator. He got back on his skis, and won his next Super G event in January of 2003.

His courage and amazing accomplishment led to him receiving the Laureus World Sports Award for "Comeback of the Year" in 2004.

Photo by akeg. Not Maier's actual wreck.

Maier Skiing Video

powered by Youtube

Torino 2006

After he recovered from his accident, Maier continued to ski, and continued to excel. He made it to the Torino Olympics, where he took two medals: silver in the Super G, and bronze in the giant slalom. Not a bad accomplishment for anyone, let alone someone who had been in a devastating injury and almost lost his leg at one point.

Hermann's Book

Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life

Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life

by: Hermann Maier, Knut Okresek, Lance Armstrong

Amazon Price: $8.76 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

Need a little inspiration? If Hermann Maier can overcome all of the obstacles in his life to win four Olympic medals, doesn't it stand to reason that you can do a lot in your life as well? Whether you are a competitive athlete or are just trying to succeed in the game of life, Maier's story can bring inspiration to your life.

Retirement

All careers must come to an end at some point. On October 13, 2009, at age 36, Hermann Maier announced that he would no longer be skiing competitively. He cited his health as the main reason why he would be hanging up his (competitive) skis.

"I am healthy now and that's the way I want to live on," he announced. In the previous season, he had suffered a knee injury that required surgery.

Not Content To Sit Around Doing Nothing...

Hermann Meier Plans to Ski to the South Pole

The Ceremonial South Pole; photo in public domainEven though Hermann Meier has retired from competitive skiing, he has not chosen to live a comfortable life of rest. He will be embarking on a new challenge: skiing to the South pole. He will be part of an Austrian team, competing against a German team, to see which group can get to the pole first.

The world has come a long way from the first days of Antarctic exploration. The first group of explorers to reach the South Pole, led by Roald Amundsen, took nearly two months to reach the pole. The second group to get to the South Pole, led by Robert F. Scott, died of starvation on the way back. The Herminator's group expects their journey to only take two weeks (and it is highly unlikely that they will starve on the way back).

Career Highlights

  • 13 years long (1996-2009)
  • 4 Olympic Medals

    • 2 gold
    • 1 silver
    • 1 bronze

  • 6 World Championship Titles
    • 3 gold
    • 2 Silver
    • 1 Bronze

  • 54 victories
    • 24 Super G
    • 15 Downhill
    • 14 Giant Slalom
    • 1 Combined

  • 10 Wold Cup Discipline Titles
  • 4 Overall World Cup Titles


Not bad!

Olympic Lenses

Loading

Did You Like This?

If you liked this, please give me a thumbs up. Thanks!

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

Leave Your Comments

retweet

Leave your comments here! You do have to be a member to comment, but it's free to join.

  • JaguarJulie Oct 20, 2009 @ 2:42 pm | delete
    Oh, what a terrific name -- Herminator!
  • theraggededge Oct 20, 2009 @ 3:57 am | delete
    This a great lens - clean and crisp, nothing distracts from the information.
  • jptanabe Oct 19, 2009 @ 5:13 pm | delete
    Great job on the "Herminator"! I do love to watch Olympic skiing and remember him well. Yep, he'll be missed in Vancouver.
  • rms Oct 19, 2009 @ 3:07 pm | delete
    Excellent tribute to Hermann!
  • mbgphoto Oct 19, 2009 @ 1:44 pm | delete
    Very interesting and well done lens. Blessed by a SquidAngel!
Show All

Bloggers on Hermann Maier

World Cup champ Hirscher escapes car crash
The crash occurred near Altenmarkt, where twice Olympic champion Hermann Maier suffered a serious motorcycle accident which nearly ended his career in 2001. Three-times world champion Rudi Nierlich died in a car crash in the same area, in St Wolfgang ...
Hermann Maier engagiert sich seit 40 Jahren für die Johanniter
Die beiden Landesvorsitzenden Wolf-Dieter Graf von Degenfeld-Schonburg (links) und Hans-Joachim Woller (rechts) gratulierten Hermann Maier zu seiner 40-jährigen Mitgliedschaft bei den Johannitern. (Foto: privat) Aalen-Wasseralfingen / sz (pm) ? Seit 40 ...
Salzburg in Zahlen 21,7
Salzburg ist mehr als Mozart, Festspiele und Hermann Maier. Die Nummer sieben unter den Bundesländern nach Bevölkerungszahl zählt ohne Zweifel zu Österreichs Benchmark-Regionen. Salzburg ist Österreichs sechstgrößtes Bundesland.
Muttertagssparbuch und meet Hermann Maier
An die fünf höchstbewerteten Gedichte/Sprüche wird jeweils ein Sparbuch mit 300 Euro vergeben. Als Hauptpreis wird eine Jury den kreativsten Spruch wählen und mit einem Meet & Greet mit Hermann Maier und einem 500 Euro Sparbuch belohnen.
Powered by Google

The World Around Us

Loading

by

Brookelorren

Homeschooler, professional content producer, and work at home mom. My interests are Christianity, current events, education, scrapbooking, and more. more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags