Olympic Person of the Month January 2022
For the first Olympic Person of the Month in 2022, the EOA has chosen Austrian alpine ski racer Hermann Maier, who is nicknamed the “Herminator” and won four Olympic medals during his 13 year career.
As a 15 year old, he was dismissed from the renowned Schladming ski academy, after being told by coaches that he was too thin and not strong enough to compete fulltime. He then spent time working as a bricklayer, before his skiing career started to pick up when he was first invited to compete in the Austrian national team in 1996.
At the 1998 Winter Olympics, Maier suffered a near fatal crash in which he partially landed on his head. Despite the dramatic nature of the crash, Maier made an incredible return to competition just three days later and won 2 gold medals at the Nagano games.
In 2001, Maier was the victim of another near fatal crash, this time as a motorcyclist riding home from training. His right leg almost had to be amputated but was saved during extensive reconstructive surgery. After missing the 2002 winter season, the by-now legendary skier made his comeback by reclaiming his super-G and overall titles.
Alongside his 4 Olympic medals, Maier won 6 World Championship medals and from 2000-2013, held the record for the most points in one season by any alpine skier.
The impressive resilience that Hermann Maier demonstrated during his career makes him a worthy Olympic Person of the Month as he continued to pursue his sporting dreams even when many people doubted him, which shows his passion for and dedication to his sport. In November 2021, Maier was honoured in the Austrian sports “Walk of Fame”.
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