Maria Höfl-Riesch
 Riesch in January 2009 |
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| Disciplines | Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Combined |
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| Club | SC Partenkirchen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 24, 1984 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, West Germany |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | February 16, 2001 (age 16) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | mariariesch.de | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 1 – (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (2 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 – (2003, 2007-11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (1 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 11th - (2002-12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 66 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 1 – (2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 4 – (1 SG, 2 SL, 1 SC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Maria Höfl-Riesch (
/ˈriːʃ/; née Riesch, born on November 24, 1984) is a champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from Germany. Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria,[1] she made her World Cup debut in February 2001 and won gold medals in slalom and super combined at the 2010 Winter Olympics and won the World Cup overall title in 2011.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Career
Riesch was a prodigious talent as a junior in 2001 and 2003. She won seven medals in all of the disciplines at the Junior World Championships, including three gold medals in combined and super giant slalom.[3]
As the racing careers of Martina Ertl-Renz and Hilde Gerg concluded, Riesch rose as the leading female racer on the German national team. Injuries cut short her seasons in 2005 and 2006, causing her to miss the 2005 World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics.
During the 2009 season, she won four slalom events on the World Cup tour and won the gold medal in the slalom at the 2009 World Championships. Prior to 2009, her most successful season was in 2004, when she finished third in the overall World Cup standings, with three race victories. She also finished third in the overall standings in 2008. In the 2007 season she won her second Downhill race, at Lake Louise, Canada.
Riesch won two gold medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics, in the super combined and slalom. After finishing second in the overall World Cup standings in 2009 and 2010, Riesch built a big lead early in the 2011 season and then hung on to win the overall title, besting three-time defending champion Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. by just three points. At the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Vonn took the overall lead after the downhill, then Riesch reclaimed it after the slalom;[4] the super G and giant slalom races were cancelled due to poor conditions.[2]
[edit] Personal
Riesch is also a nationally-ranked tennis player and a cyclist.[5] Her younger sister, Susanne Riesch, is also a World Cup ski racer, specializing in the slalom.
One of her closest friends (and major rival) on the World Cup tour is Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. During competition in Europe, Vonn and her husband traditionally spend Christmas Eve at the Riesch family home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
She married her manager Marcus Höfl on 14 April 2011.[6]
At a height of 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), she is one of the tallest women on the World Cup circuit.
[edit] World Cup victories
[edit] Season titles
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Super G |
| Combined | |
| 2009 | Slalom |
| 2010 | Slalom |
| 2011 | Overall |
[edit] Individual races
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 3 victories (1 DH, 1 SG, 1 SL) |
30 Jan 2004 |  Haus im Ennstal, Austria |
Downhill |
| 1 Feb 2004 | Super G | ||
| 29 Feb 2004 |  Levi, Finland |
Slalom | |
| 2007 | 1 Dec 2006 |  Lake Louise, Canada |
Downhill |
| 2008 (1 SG, 1 SC) |
21 Jan 2008 |  Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
Super-G |
| 24 Feb 2008 | Whistler, Canada |
Super Combined | |
| 2009 5 victories (4 SL, 1 SC) |
14 Dec 2008 |  La Molina, Spain |
Slalom |
| 29 Dec 2008 | Semmering, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 4 Jan 2009 |  Zagreb, Croatia |
Slalom | |
| 11 Jan 2009 |  Maribor, Slovenia |
Slalom | |
| 20 Feb 2009 | Tarvisio, Italy |
Super Combined | |
| 2010 3 victories (1 SL, 2 DH) |
14 Nov 2009 | Levi, Finland |
Slalom |
| 30 Jan 2010 |  St. Moritz, Switzerland |
Downhill | |
| 10 Mar 2010 |  Garmisch, Germany |
Downhill | |
| 2011 7 victories (3 DH, 1 SL, 1 SC, 1 SG, 1 NTE) |
3 Dec 2010 | Lake Louise, Canada |
Downhill |
| 4 Dec 2010 | Downhill | ||
| 11 Jan 2011 | Flachau, Austria |
Slalom | |
| 22 Jan 2011 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
Downhill | |
| 25 Feb 2011 |  Åre, Sweden |
Super Combined | |
| 27 Feb 2011 | Super G | ||
| 20 Mar 2011 | Lenzerheide, Switzerland |
Team Event | |
| 2012 (1 DH, 1 SC) |
29 Jan 2012 | St. Moritz, Switzerland |
Super Combined |
| 18 Feb 2012 |  Krasnaya Polyana, Russia |
Downhill |
[edit] References
- ^ Harry, Nutt (14 February 2009). "Kratzer am Kinn" (in German). Frankfurter Rundschau. http://www.fr-online.de/home/kratzer-am-kinn/-/1472778/3355286/-/index.html. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ a b Ski Racing.com – Cancellation gives Riesch overall crown – 2011-03-19
- ^ http://www.fisalpineworldcup.com/Fis_alpine/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=110&Itemid=99&competitorid=50980
- ^ Ski Racing.com - Maze edges Schild for her first World Cup slalom win; Riesch takes slim lead in overall - 2011-03-18
- ^ http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=12760&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=1620104
- ^ "Nun startet sie als Höfl-Riesch" (in German). faz.net. 14 April 2011. http://www.faz.net/s/Rub413BA5AD8E3D412282EE9A4C6AFA02FC/Doc~E3DAAC7254BD34498AA60EF97C2D7098A~ATpl~Ecommon~SMed.html. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maria Riesch |
[edit] External links
- Maria Höfl-Riesch at the International Ski Federation
- FIS-ski.com – World Cup season standings – Maria Höfl-Riesch
- Ski-db.com – results – Maria Höfl-Riesch
- Sports Reference.com - Olympic results - Maria Riesch
- Maria Riesch.de – personal site - (German)
- German Ski Team (DSV) - official site - Maria Höfl-Riesch - (German)
- Head.com - athletes - alpine skiing - Maria Höfl-Riesch
- Vancouver 2010.com – Maria Riesch – Germany – Alpine skiing
- Photo report: Celebrating Maria Riesch
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Steffi Nerius |
German Sportswoman of the Year 2010 |
Succeeded by Magdalena Neuner |
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