.jpg) Mittermaier in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rosa Anna Katharina Mittermaier (1950-08-05)5 August 1950 Munich, Bavaria, West Germany |
| Died | 4 January 2023(2023-01-04) (aged 72) Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany |
| Occupation | Alpine skier |
| Height | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Sport | |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Downhill,giant slalom,slalom,combined |
| World Cup debut | 1 February 1967 (age 16) |
| Retired | 31 May 1976 (age 25) |
| Website | www |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 3 – (1968,1972,1976) |
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 5 –(1968–76)[a] |
| Medals | 4 (3 gold) |
| World Cup | |
| Seasons | 10 –(1967–1976) |
| Wins | 10 – (1GS, 8SL, 1K) |
| Podiums | 41 – (4DH, 11GS, 22SL, 4K) |
| Overall titles | 1 –(1976) |
| Discipline titles | 2 –(SL &K in1976) |
Rosa Anna Katharina Mittermaier-Neureuther (German:[ˈʁoziˈmɪtɐˌmaɪ̯ɐ]ⓘ;néeMittermaier; 5 August 1950 – 4 January 2023) was a Germanalpine skier. She was the overallWorld Cup champion in1976 and a double gold medalist at the1976 Winter Olympics.[1]
Mittermaier competed in alpine skiing from 1967 to 1976, retiring after a highly successful season in which she finished with twoOlympic gold medals and ranked first in the World Cup. She remained popular, advertising for sports and as a non-fiction writer. She was known asGold-Rosi, and she was inducted intoGermany's Sports Hall of Fame in April 2006 when it was initiated.
Mittermaier was born inMunich[2] and grew up inReit im Winkl on theWinklmoos-Alm [de].[3] Her father had run there the Passauer Hütte.[4] A certified skiing instructor, he also owned a skiing school from 1966,[5] and was the first to train his daughters.[6]
Mittermaier made herWorld Cup debut in the inaugural season of1967,[7] and won her first World Cup race two seasons later.[8]
She won two gold medals (downhill andslalom)[9] and one silver (giant slalom) at the1976 Winter Olympics inInnsbruck.[10][11] Her victory in the Olympic downhill was the only downhill win in her international career.[12] Mittermaier was the most successful athlete at those games, along with cross-country skierRaisa Smetanina of theSoviet Union, earning her the nickname ofGold-Rosi within Germany (thenWest Germany).[13]
In addition to the overall World Cup title, she also won the season title inslalom andcombined in 1976. After winning both races atCopper Mountain inColorado to wrap up the overall and slalom titles,[14] the four-year-old resort immediately named the race course run after her.[15][16] In addition to her success in international competition, she also won 16 German national titles during her career.[17]
On 31 May 1976, she retired from international competition at age 25, following the very successful1976 season.[18][19][20]
After her career in sports, Mittermaier joinedMark McCormack'sInternational Management Group as the only German alongsideJean-Claude Killy,Jackie Stewart, andBjörn Borg.[21] During her three-year contract, she designed a collection of winter sports clothing and made international appearances for various skiing products.[22] She wrote non-fiction books, often together with her husband.[19] She worked for several charities and occasionally as a commentator for German television for major sporting events. She established a charitable foundation to aid children withrheumatism in 2000.[17][19]
Mittermaier was born with a twin sister who died at birth. Her younger sisterEvi Mittermaier also competed as an alpine skier and previously lived in a hotel.[17] Rosi and Evi also recorded two albums ofBavarian folk songs together.[17]
In 1980 she marriedChristian Neureuther, winner of six World Cup slalom races.[23] They are the parents ofFelix Neureuther (b. 1984), a World Cup ski racer for Germany,[24] and a daughter Ameli who works as a fashion designer.[25]
Mittermaier died because of cancer inGarmisch-Partenkirchen on 4 January 2023, at the age of 72 years.[3][26][27] Her mortal remains were cremated and the urn was buried at the cemetery of Garmisch. Next to her gravestone - a rock, which bears the inscription "Rosi Mittermaier-Neureuther" and resembles a mountain - is a similar one without inscription, which is obviously reserved for her husband.
She was an honorary citizen's of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Reit im Winkl.[19]
Source:[29]
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 16 | 27 | 19 | — | not run | — | not awarded |
| 1968 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 8 | — | ||
| 1969 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 5 | ||
| 1970 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 12 | ||
| 1971 | 20 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 15 | ||
| 1972 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 1973 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 9 | ||
| 1974 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 11 | ||
| 1975 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1976 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (seescoring system).
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Overall |
| Slalom | |
| Combined |
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 16 January 1969 |  Schruns, Austria | Slalom |
| 1970 | 14 March 1970 |  Voss, Norway | Slalom |
| 1973 | 2 February 1973 | Schruns, Austria | Slalom |
| 1974 | 27 February 1974 |  Abetone, Italy | Slalom |
| 8 March 1974 |  Vysoké Tatry, Czechoslovakia | Slalom | |
| 1975 | 13 December 1974[30] | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | Slalom |
| 1976 | 17 December 1975 | Combined | |
| 22 January 1976 | Bad Gastein, Austria | Slalom | |
| 5 March 1976 |  Copper Mountain, United States | Giant slalom | |
| 6 March 1976 | Slalom |
Source:[29]
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 17 | DNF2 | 20 | not run | 25 | — |
| 1970 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 5 | |
| 1972 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1974 | 23 | 6 | DNF | DNF | — | |
| 1976 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
From1948 through1980, theWinter Olympics were also theWorld Championships for alpine skiing.
At the World Championships from1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).
Source:[12]
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 17 | DNF2 | 20 | not run | 25 | not run |
| 1972 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 6 | ||
| 1976 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Many of her books were written with her husband Christian Neureuther:[19]
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| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | German Sportswoman of the Year 1976 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
