Former German ski racer Rosi Mittermaier has died. With her two gold medals at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, “Gold Rosi,” as she was subsequently known, mesmerized all of Germany. Her family told Bayerischer Rundfunk that Mittermaier fell asleep peacefully at the age of 72 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Jan. 4, 2023, after a severe illness.

PG_Danke Mama_Felix Neureuther_Rosi Mittermaier

Source: © Dirk Bader for Procter & Gamble

Rosi Mittermaier with her son Felix Neureuther in 2018.

Mittermaier was born in Munich on Aug. 5, 1950, and grew up at the Winkelmoosalm near Reit im Winkl, where her parents ran a ski school and a restaurant. She made her World Cup debut in 1967 at the age of 17, and at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, she won gold in the downhill and slalom, plus silver in the giant slalom and the World Cup title in the combined. Mittermaier ended her active career in May 1976. She later founded a company with her husband Christian Neureuther, among other things, wrote books and was a member of the National Olympic Committee.

Mittermaier is survived by her husband, son Felix Neureuther (both also successful former ski racers), daughter Ameli and several grandchildren.

Whistler 2015

Source: Wolfgang Greiner

Friendly, humble and never shy of contact: This is how Rosi Mittermaier will be remembered by all those who had the chance to meet her in person, such as the ski group in this picture. For years, Mittermaier (pictured wearing the white jacket and no helmet) and her husband were testimonials and “celebrity sidekicks” for a German heliskiing company, Hagen Alpin Tours. This photo was taken in Whistler, Canada, in 2015.

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