Ulrike Maier
 Ulrike Maier's grave in Rauris, Austria |
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| Disciplines | Downhill, Super-G, Giant slalom, Slalom, Combined |
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| Born | October 22, 1967 Rauris, Austria |
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| Died | January 29, 1994 (aged 26) Murnau, Germany |
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| World Cup debut | December 9, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ulrike Maier (22 October 1967 – 29 January 1994) was an Austrian alpine ski racer, two-time Super-G World Alpine Ski Champion.
Born in Rauris, Maier won the Super-G gold medal at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in both 1989 and 1991. She also took home the giant slalom silver medal in the 1991 event. She recorded 5 World Cup victories (2 Super-G, 3 Giant Slalom) and 21 podiums in her career.
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[edit] Accident
On 29 January 1994 during a World Cup downhill race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Maier crashed while skiing at 105 km/h (64 mph) down the slope and broke her neck.[1] She died of her injuries shortly after being evacuated to the hospital in nearby Murnau, Germany, at age 26. She had thought to retire at the end of the 1993-1994 season.[citation needed] However, she was reconsidering her decision in the days before the fateful downhill, planning to continue until 1995 World Championships in Spain.[citation needed]
Initially it was claimed that her death was caused by hitting a wooden timing post. Based on that claim, Maier's fiance Hubert Schweighhofer criticised the organizers of the race and filed suit against them.[2] However, several months later the court found that Maier actually did not hit the timing post with her head but probably broke her neck by crashing into a pile of snow on the border of the race course.[3] The court did not find any negligence from the organizers and dismissed the suit.
Unlike most other deadly skiing accidents, her fatal crash happened during a race which was broadcast live on TV.
Maier was survived by her daughter and was buried in her home village of Rauris, Austria.
[edit] World Cup victories
[edit] Individual races
5 total: 3 Giant Slalom, 2 Super-G
| Date | Location | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 28 November 1992 |  Park City |
Giant Slalom |
| 13 December 1992 | Vail |
Super-G |
| 16 January 1993 |  Cortina d'Ampezzo |
Super-G |
| 27 November 1993 | Santa Caterina |
Giant Slalom |
| 21 January 1994 |  Maribor |
Giant Slalom |
[edit] References
- ^ [1]. New York Times. 30 January 1994.
- ^ [2]. New York Times. 31 January 1994.
- ^ [3]. International Herald Tribune 25 November 1994.
[edit] External links
- Ulrike Maier at the International Ski Federation
- Ski-db.com - Ulrike Maier
- Deadly Ski Accident from Ulrike Maier - YouTube
- Ulrike "Ulli" Maier At Find A Grave
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Preceded by Sigrid Wolf |
Austrian Sportswoman of the year 1989 |
Succeeded by Petra Kronberger |
