Early years

Maier did not initially enjoy much success in ski racing. As a 15-year-old at the Schladming ski academy, he was sent home after being told he wouldn't succeed because of his slight build, caused by growth impairments. He returned home to his hometown of Flachau and his father's ski school, which remains Maier's home. He took up work as a bricklayer in the summer and a ski instructor in the winter.

Participating in local races, Maier became a multiple regional champion in Salzburg and Tyrol, but still was not able to gain a spot in the strong Austrian World Cup ski team. Putting that behind him, his outstanding talent was recognized for the first time by Austrian coaches on 6 January 1996, when he was timed with the 12th fastest time in a World Cup giant slalom in Flachau, although only starting as a forerunner, not participating in the actual competition. This would become the starting point of his international career.

Ski career

Maier made his World Cup debut at age 23 on 10 February 1996, and finished 26th in the giant slalom at Hinterstoder, Austria. A year later in February 1997, he won his first World Cup event - a super-G race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He quickly established himself as an explosive and dynamic racer, well known for his strength, willingness to take risks, and strong work ethic.

Maier soon dominated alpine ski racing, winning the gold medal in the giant slalom and super-G at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, only a few days after a dramatic crash in the downhill race where he flew spectacularly off the sunlit course, landed partially on his head, tumbled head over heels several times, and crashed through two layers of B-netting. Despite the horrible look of the crash, Maier was able to walk out under his own power. That put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated and made him a well known sportsman around the globe. Maier won the overall World Cup title in 1998, as well as the super-G and giant slalom season titles, and placed second in the downhill standings.

In 2000 he won the overall World Cup title, as well as the season titles in downhill, super-G, and giant slalom. He had a dominating performance, setting the then most point garnered by an alpine skier, of 2000 points. This record was not surpassed until female skier Tina Maze beat it in 2013, with 2,414 points.

In 2001, the overall World Cup title, as well as the season titles in downhill, super-G, and giant slalom. He won 13 World Cup races, but settled for two medals (silver and bronze) in the speed events at the 2001 World Championships in St. Anton. He was the reigning world champion in both events, won in 1999 at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

His racing career nearly ended following a near-fatal motorcycle accident in August 2001; he collided with a car on his way home from a summer training session in Austria. Doctors nearly amputated his lower right leg, but instead Maier underwent massive reconstructive surgery. Most believed his racing career was over, and he had to sit out the 2002 season, missing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He returned to international competition in January 2003 in Adelboden, Switzerland. Just two weeks later, he shocked the skiing world with an amazing super-G victory in the skiing-mecca of Kitzbühel, Austria.

In 2004, his first full season back, he reclaimed both the super-G and overall titles, a feat widely seen as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. In 2004, Maier received the Laureus World Sports Award for the "Comeback of the Year". His overall title was the fourth of his career.

Reflecting his apparently indestructible nature, he is sometimes jocularly known as "The Herminator." After his 1998 Olympic gold medals in Nagano he also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC - together with Austrian-born actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is known worldwide as "The Terminator".

In 2004, Maier wrote an autobiography with his friend and former publicity agent, Knut Okresek. The book, Hermann Maier: Das Rennen Meines Lebens (in German), dealt mainly with his stunning recovery from the 2001 motorcycle accident. In 2005, VeloPress, a Boulder, Colorado-based publisher affiliated with Ski Racing magazine, acquired the worldwide English language rights to the book, which was published in time for the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, as Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life.

In October 2005, he won the opening giant slalom in Sölden to amass 51 victories in the World Cup. This placed him fourth on the career victory list, behind Ingemar Stenmark, Annemarie Moser-Pröll, and Vreni Schneider.

On 20 June 2007, Maier announced he was switching to Head as his equipment sponsor, ending his long affiliation with Atomic. Also switching from Atomic to Head at this time were champions Bode Miller of the U.S. and Didier Cuche of Switzerland.

On 18 January 2008, Maier finished second in the Kitzbühel's super-G, behind Marco Büchel and in front of Didier Cuche for a total podium age of 104 years. His career results in the super-G races at Kitzbühel are the best in history (7 races: 5 wins and 2 second places). The following day, Maier finished fifth in the downhill. These were his best results of the 2008 season.

On 30 November 2008, Maier won the first super-G of the 2009 season, held in Lake Louise, for his 24th super-G win. It was his 54th World Cup victory, but the first in nearly three years, and came a week before his 36th birthday. It was Maier's fourth victory in the super-G at Lake Louise, the last coming five years earlier.

On 13 October 2009, after 13 years competing in the World Cup circuit, 36-year-old Maier announced his retirement.

World Cup results

Season titles

• 14 total: 4 overall, 2 downhill, 5 super-G, 3 giant slalom

Season	Discipline
1998	Overall
	Super-G
	Giant slalom
1999	Super-G
2000	Overall
	Downhill
	Super-G
	Giant slalom
2001	Overall
	Downhill
	Super-G
	Giant slalom
2004	Overall
	Super-G

Season standings

Season	Age	Overall	Slalom	Giant slalom	Super-G	Downhill	Combined
1996	23	106	—	52	34	—	—
1997	24	21	—	15	4	—	—
1998	25	1	39	1	1	2	2
1999	26	3	—	3	1	1	6
2000	27	1	—	1	1	1	2
2001	28	1	—	1	1	1	—
2002	29
2003	30	45	—	—	19	25	—
2004	31	1	—	17	1	3	10
2005	32	3	—	4	2	3	9
2006	33	6	—	8	2	7	42
2007	34	19	—	16	6	18	—
2008	35	21	—	30	10	16	—
2009	36	26	—	—	4	21	—

Race victories

• 54 wins: 15 downhill, 24 super-G, 14 giant slalom, 1 combined
• 96 podiums: 25 DH, 38 SG, 28 GS, 4 K, 1 parallel slalom

Downhill 15 wins 25 podiums Season Date Location 1998 29 Dec 1997 Bormio, Italy 16 Jan 1998 Wengen, Switzerland 1999 29 Dec 1998 Bormio, Italy 2000 27 Nov 1999 Beaver Creek, USA 8 Jan 2000 Chamonix, France 29 Jan 2000 Garmisch, Germany 2001 2 Dec 2000 Beaver Creek, USA 9 Dec 2000 Val d'Isère, France 20 Jan 2001 Kitzbühel, Austria 2 Mar 2001 Kvitfjell, Norway 8 Mar 2001 Åre, Sweden 2004 6 Dec 2003 Beaver Creek, USA 14 Feb 2004 St. Anton, Austria 2005 5 Mar 2005 Kvitfjell, Norway 2006 28 Jan 2006 Garmisch, Germany Giant slalom 14 wins 28 podiums Season Date Location 1998 25 Nov 1997 Park City, USA 6 Jan 1998 Saalbach, Austria 13 Jan 1998 Adelboden, Switzerland 1999 25 Oct 1998 Sölden, Austria 12 Jan 1999 Adelboden, Switzerland 2000 31 Oct 1999 Tignes, France 24 Nov 1999 Beaver Creek, USA 5 Feb 2000 Todtnau, Germany 2001 29 Oct 2000 Sölden, Austria 10 Dec 2000 Val d'Isère, France 9 Jan 2001 Adelboden, Switzerland 15 Feb 2001 Shiga Kōgen, Japan 10 Mar 2001 Åre, Sweden 2006 23 Oct 2005 Sölden, Austria

Super-G 24 wins 38 podiums Season Date Location 1997 23 Feb 1997 Garmisch, Germany 1998 6 Dec 1997 Beaver Creek, USA 10 Jan 1998 Schladming, Austria 11 Jan 1998 1 Feb 1998 Garmisch, Germany 1999 13 Dec 1998 Val d'Isère, France 21 Dec 1998 Innsbruck, Austria 9 Jan 1999 Schladming, Austria 7 Mar 1999 Kvitfjell, Norway 2000 28 Nov 1999 Beaver Creek, USA 5 Dec 1999 Lake Louise, Canada 21 Jan 2000 Kitzbühel, Austria 16 Mar 2000 Bormio, Italy 2001 26 Nov 2000 Lake Louise, Canada 19 Jan 2001 Kitzbühel, Austria 4 Mar 2001 Kvitfjell, Norway 2003 27 Jan 2003 Kitzbühel, Austria 2004 30 Nov 2003 Lake Louise 1 Feb 2004 Garmisch, Germany 11 Mar 2004 Sestriere, Italy 2005 24 Jan 2005 Kitzbühel, Austria 6 Mar 2005 Kvitfjell, Norway 2006 20 Jan 2006 Kitzbühel, Austria 2009 30 Nov 2008 Lake Louise, Canada Combined 1 win 4 podiums Season Date Location 1998 18 Jan 1998 Veysonnaz, Switzerland

World Championship results

Year	Age	Slalom	Giant Slalom	Super G	Downhill	Combined
1999	26	—	DNF2	1	1	—
2001	28	—	4	3	2	—
2003	30	—	—	2	8	—
2005	32	—	1	4	17	—
2007	34	—	21	7	13	—
2009	36	—	—	18	6	—

Olympic results

Year	Age	Slalom	Giant Slalom	Super G	Downhill	Combined
1998	25	—	1	1	DNF	—
2002	29	—	—	—	—	—
2006	33	—	1	2	6	—

Besides skiing

Maier also won an all-around sports competition, the 2001 edition of the American Superstars competition and he frequently acts in TV adverts for his sponsor bank Raiffeisen.

Video

• YouTube.com - Hahnenkamm (full course) - 9th place - 24 Jan 2004
• YouTube.com - 1998 Olympics - Nagano downhill (crash) & giant slalom (2nd run) - gold medal

[ Source: Wikipedia ]