Name Stephan Eberharter | Role Alpine ski racer | |
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Olympic medals Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill Similar People Hermann Maier, Fritz Strobl, Lasse Kjus, Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Andreas Schifferer | ||
Stefan Eberharter super-G gold (WCH Saalbach 1991)
Stephan "Steff" Eberharter (born 24 March 1969) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Austria.
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Born in Brixlegg, Tyrol, Eberharter was the winner of the overall World Cup title in 2002 and 2003, as well as the season titles in downhill and super-G. He was the nearest rival of compatriot Hermann Maier in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Eberharter retired from international competition following the conclusion of the 2004 season.
Career
Eberharter made his World Cup debut during the 1990 season at age 20, where he finished 32nd in the overall standings. The next year he finished second in the super-G standings and won two gold medals at the 1991 World Championships in Saalbach, the super-G and combined. He was voted the Austrian Sportspersonality of the year for 1991.
After injury setbacks, he became particularly successful in the downhill event, and finished third in the downhill standings in 1998 and was the runner-up in 2001. His nemesis on the snow, teammate Maier, was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in August 2001 which sidelined him for the 2002 season. In Maier's absence, Eberharter went on to take the overall World Cup title (and downhill and super-G) in 2002 and 2003. His 2004 victory at the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel is often regarded as one of the most impressive downhill victories in alpine skiing history, besting runner-up Daron Rahlves by a lengthy 1.21 seconds, an equivalent of 142 feet (43 m) at 80 mph (130 km/h).
Eberharter enjoyed success at the World Championships and Olympic Games as well. In 1991 in Saalbach, he won two gold medals in the super-G and combined events. Twelve years later, at St. Moritz in 2003, he took gold in the super-G event again. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, he finished second in the giant slalom, but went on to take gold in the same event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he also won the bronze medal in the downhill, and took silver in the super-G.
In his final season in 2004, Eberharter won four downhills and the downhill season title; he had twelve podiums, was second in the overall standings, and third in Super-G.