Achievements

4 x Skiing World Cup titles

3 x World Championship titles 

2 x Olympic gold medals

From the age of eight, Hermann dreamt only of competing as a Skier in the Olympics. Small for his age and certainly in comparison to his teammates Hermann was not deterred, instead he was determined to make his dreams come true. He got to work, growing stronger, training harder, practicing day and night and honing his talent.  

Hermann made his World Cup debut, aged 23 and a year later won his first World Cup Super-G race.  He appeared at the Olympic Games in Nagano 1998 and soon made global headlines.  On his first Downhill run he had a horrific crash which saw him fly off the course, landing on his head and tumbling head over heels down the mountain… the world held its breath.  Miraculously, he walked away and was back competing just three days later, incredibly going on to win two gold medals. The courage he showed to get back on his skis, petitioning the International Olympic Committee to even allow him to race, the risks he took to win the gold medal, firmly cemented him as a hero, not only in his homeland of Austria but across the world.  Admired for his strength, risk taking and determination, Hermann became a crowd favourite.  

At the height of his career, Hermann suffered a near-fatal motorbike crash in 2001 in which he almost lost his lower right leg.  After undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery, he astonished the world by returning to World Cup winning form just 18 months later.  His hero status firmly compounded, he received World Sports “Comeback of the Year” in 2004 and the affectionate nickname “The Herminator” due to his apparent indestructibility, 

Hermann puts his success down to hard work, training and having the right attitude. He believes that of all his traits “Courage is most important”.