Enlarge image

Former ski star Matthias Mayer: “Health problems not yet overcome”

Photo: Wolfgang Jannach / GEPA pictures / IMAGO

Excitement about the three-time Olympic champion Matthias Mayer: On Thursday there was a police operation at a reception in a hotel in Kitzbühel because a person was rioting.

A police spokesman told the Austrian news portal APA.

According to media reports, it is said to be the former star skier Matthias Mayer.

According to eyewitnesses, the 33-year-old climbed onto tables and screamed loudly, as the “Kronenzeitung” reported.

A team doctor from the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) tried to calm Mayer - without success.

Several security employees are said to have led Mayer out of the hall.

The three-time Olympic champion is said to have caused further commotion in front of the hotel.

Health problems for years

The ÖSV, for which Mayer has been working as a consultant since 2023, reported the incident on Thursday evening.

It says: "Today we had to note with regret that Matthias Mayer has not yet overcome the health problems with which he has been struggling for a long time."

Since his surprising resignation in December 2022, there have been repeated reports of mental illness in Mayer.

The timing of his resignation left many observers wondering; Mayer still inspected the slopes and then announced on ORF before the start of the Super-G in Bormio that he was ending his career with immediate effect.

On Thursday, during a media interview, he confirmed that he was happy with his decision, even if not always.

“There were moments when I thought maybe the end came a little too soon,” he said.

The ÖSV also said: “We wish Matthias all the best and hope that he can return to his passion, skiing, as soon as possible.

After consulting with his family, we ask for your respect and understanding that we cannot provide any further information.

Three-time Olympic champion in his active career

Mayer looks back on a successful career and is considered one of Austria's greatest ski racers: He surprisingly won gold in the downhill at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, raced to gold in the Super-G in Pyeongchang in 2018 and repeated this feat in Beijing in 2022.

No skier has ever won three gold medals at three consecutive Winter Olympics.

Mayer also achieved eleven World Cup victories.

However, there were always setbacks: in 2015, Mayer fell so badly in Val Gardena that he had to be transported to the hospital with fractured vertebrae.

He narrowly escaped the wheelchair.

The 33-year-old is currently working as a consultant for the ÖSV and primarily looks after young racing drivers.

wyn