Marcel Hirscher

Marcel Hirscher (born 2 March 1989)[1] is an Austrian former World Cup alpine ski racer.[2] Hirscher made his World Cup debut in March 2007. He competed primarily in slalom and giant slalom, as well as combined and occasionally in super G. Winner of a record eight consecutive World Cup titles,[3] Hirscher has also won 11 medals at the Alpine Skiing World Championships, seven of them gold, a silver medal in slalom at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and two gold medals in the combined and giant slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Due to his record number of overall titles and many years of extreme dominance of both slalom and giant slalom, he is considered by many, including his former rivals Henrik Kristoffersen, Kjetil Jansrud and Alexis Pinturault, to be one of the best alpine skiers in history.[4][5][6] He won a total of 67 World Cup races, ranking second in the male all-time list. [7]

Marcel Hirscher
Alpine skier
Hirscher in March 2018
DisciplinesSlalom, Giant slalom,
Super-G, Combined
ClubSkiklub Annaberg
Born (1989-03-02) 2 March 1989
Hallein,
Salzburg, Austria
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
World Cup debut17 March 2007
(age 18)
Retired4 September 2019 (age 30)
Websitemarcelhirscher.at
Olympics
Teams3 – (2010, 2014, 2018)
Medals3 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams5 – (2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Medals11 (7 gold)
World Cup
Seasons12  – (2008–19)
Wins67
Podiums138
Overall titles8 – (2012–2019)
Discipline titles12 – (6 SL, 6 GS)

Career

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Hirscher placed fourth in the giant slalom and fifth in the slalom at Whistler Creekside. He placed fourth in the giant slalom at the 2009 World Championships, but broke his ankle the weekend preceding the 2011 World Championships, which ended his 2011 season.[8]

Returning after injury, Hirscher had an outstanding season in terms of wins in 2012 with 9 victories and a total of 14 podiums, all in the two technical events (except for one third place in the season's last Super G). He won the World Cup overall and giant slalom titles, and placed third in the slalom.[9]

In October 2012, Hirscher was awarded the Skieur d'Or Award[10] by members of the International Association of Ski Journalists for his performances during the previous season.

Hirscher in Hinterstoder on 11 January 2008.

Hirscher won the overall World Cup title again in 2013 with 6 victories; he also won the slalom title and was runner-up in giant slalom.[11] Hirscher scored a total of 18 podium finishes out of 19 races in the two technical events. The only race in either slalom or giant slalom where he finished outside the top 3 was the giant slalom in Adelboden. In that particular race Hirscher was leading after the first run, built up his advantage to over a second in the second run, but nearly fell several gates before the final, thus missing the win and finished only 16th. He became the first male racer to retain the overall World Cup title since fellow Austrian Stephan Eberharter in 2002 and 2003[12] and the first to win it three years in a row since American Phil Mahre did so in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

In 2015, Hirscher dominated the giant slalom standings with 5 wins, including a winning margin of 3.28 seconds in Garmisch,[13] and won the GS title for the second time. With his slalom win in Zagreb[14] he became the most successful Austrian male World Cup slalom skier surpassing Benjamin Raich. In the final race of the season in Meribel he overturned a 55-point deficit in the standings by winning his 16th World Cup slalom, and with it won the slalom title for the third year in a row.[15] Hirscher became the first male alpine skier to win the overall World Cup title four times in a row.

It's incredible how many emotions you feel when crossing the finish line and seeing that you are No. 1.

— Marcel Hirscher, 2012

Hirscher in February 2017 (FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2017).

In 2016, Hirscher became the most successful Austrian male World Cup GS skier by winning in Beaver Creek, Colorado, surpassing Benjamin Raich and Hermann Maier. With his GS win in Alta Badia, Italy (his 3rd consecutive win at that venue), he became Austria's most successful World Cup GS skier overtaking Annemarie Moser-Pröll. Another GS win in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia confirmed Hirscher as the GS title winner with one race to go. To wrap up an amazing season with 8 wins and 19 podiums Hirscher also won the men's overall World Cup title, his 5th consecutive overall title, a feat never before achieved by a male skier. His points total also enabled Austria to narrowly beat France in the men's nations cup by 201 points, the narrowest winning margin for many years. Hirscher was the only Austrian male skier to win a race in the entire season, and scored 30.9% (1795 out of 5804) of the Austrian men's nations cup points.

On 13 November in Levi, Finland, Hirscher won the first slalom of the 2017 season and equalled Pirmin Zurbriggen's win total of 40, putting him equal 5th in the standings. He also achieved his 93rd podium, surpassing Benjamin Raich's total. On 18 December he won the fourth giant slalom of the season in Alta Badia having finished second in the three preceding giant slalom races, equalling Alberto Tomba's 4 wins at the venue, and with it became the 5th most successful male World Cup winner. On 7 January Hirscher achieved his 100th podium from 191 starts (a ratio of 52.3%) with a 2nd-place finish in the giant slalom in Adelboden. On 29 January Hirscher won the GS in Garmisch, achieving his 20th GS and 43rd World Cup win, and with it attained Austria's 100th GS win for men.[16]

At the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2017 in St. Moritz, Switzerland Hirscher won gold in the GS and slalom, and silver in the combined, missing the gold by just 0.01 seconds. He was the most successful athlete at the championships.

On 4 March in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Hirscher won his third GS race of the season and with it secured his 4th GS World Cup title and his 6th overall World Cup title; the only male skier in history to do so.[17] One day later Hirscher finished fourth in the slalom and with it secured his fourth World Cup slalom title.[18]

The start of the 2018 season was expected to be more difficult as Hirscher suffered a fracture to his left ankle during the first day of snow training on 17 August. Fortunately the first race of the season in Sölden was cancelled due to high winds, giving Hirscher a few more weeks to recover. He made a last minute decision to race the slalom in Levi on 12 November and achieved a 17th-place finish. The next technical race was the GS in Val d'Isère on 9 December and Hirscher came 3rd. He won the slalom the next day.

On 17 December 2017, he won the giant slalom race in Alta Badia, which was his fifth consecutive victory in that location, surpassing Ivica Kostelić, who won the Kitzbühel combined 4 times in a row.

On 4 January 2018, Hirscher achieved his 5th win of the season in the slalom in Zagreb and with it his 50th World Cup win, matching the total of legendary technical racer Alberto Tomba. Two days later Hirscher achieved his sixth win of the season by winning the GS in Adelboden and moved to 3rd overall in the men's World Cup winners rankings. The next day he won the slalom in Adelboden. On 23 January, with his 9th win of the season in the Schladming night slalom, Hirscher equalled his compatriot Austrian ski legend Hermann Maier's 54 World Cup victories. It was the 500th World Cup win for Austrian men. On 28 January Hirscher moved to second overall in the men's World Cup winners rankings by winning the GS in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Hirscher won gold in the men's combined event, his first competition of the games. The win was not expected, as he had done little downhill training as a result of the pre season ankle injury.[19] 5 days later he went on to win gold in the GS by 1.27 seconds, the biggest winning margin in Olympic GS since the 1968 Winter Olympics.[20][21]

Following the Olympics, the World Cup technical races resumed in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on 3 March with the GS. Hirscher secured the GS crystal globe for the 5th time by winning the race with a winning margin of 1.66 seconds. The following day, Hirscher also won the slalom with a winning margin of 1.22 seconds. As a result, he also won the slalom crystal globe for the 5th time, and the overall crystal globe for the seventh time in succession with 2 technical races remaining. His Olympic gold medals plus the additional crystal globes enabled him to reach the top of the standings in the greatest alpine skiers of all time men's super ranking. At the end of the slalom race, Hirscher said on Austrian television that he would go home "and consider where the journey will go. I don't know if I will be skiing World Cup next season".

At the World Cup finals in Åre, Hirscher won the GS race on 17 March and equaled the record of most wins in a single season: he shares the record of 13 wins with alpine skiing legends Ingemar Stenmark and Hermann Maier. Unfortunately, the following day the slalom race was cancelled due to high winds, denying Hirscher the opportunity to obtain the record outright. Hirscher has started 245 World Cup races, has won 67 of them, (a ratio of 27%) has achieved 138 podiums (a ratio of 56%) and has finished 73% of his races in the Top 10.[22]

In December 2018 Hirscher became Austria's most prolific World Cup race winner when he won a slalom in Saalbach-Hinterglemm in his native state of Salzburg, his 63rd World Cup victory, taking him past the previous record holder Annemarie Moser-Pröll.[23] He took a total of 14 World Cup wins in 2018, breaking the previous record for most World Cup race wins in a single calendar year set by Ingemar Stenmark, but was eclipsed by Mikaela Shiffrin, who set a new record by winning 15 World Cup events during 2018.[24] He was named as a L'Équipe Champion of Champions for 2018, as well as Eurosport's Sportsman of the Year.[6]

On 13 January 2019 he won the slalom race in Adelboden and celebrated a 9th World Cup win and a 16th podium, a record among male athletes at a single resort.[25] At the 2019 Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre in February, Hirscher took a silver in the giant slalom behind Henrik Kristoffersen, before winning the slalom by 0.65 seconds after holding a 0.56 second lead from the first run: Hirscher described his first run as one of the best performances of his career. He led teammates Michael Matt and Marco Schwarz in a clean sweep of the podium places, taking Austria's only gold of the championships, and preventing them from leaving a Worlds without a gold medal for the first time since 1987. It was Hirscher's seventh World Championship gold, tying him with compatriot Toni Sailer for the record number of Worlds golds won. Hirscher subsequently told the media that he would assess his future at the end of the season, but also stated that he thought that these were his last Worlds.[26]

On 4 September 2019, Marcel Hirscher announced his retirement from alpine skiing.[27][28] After his retirement, Hirscher was a presenter for an Austrian TV show.[29] Despite videos of him training in a racing suit that circulated in December 2020, Hirscher insisted that he was not returning to competitive skiing.[30]

World Cup results

Hirscher during the giant slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Marcel Hirscher with Stefan Illek, Michael Pircher, Josef Percht and Ferdinand Hirscher
Hirscher at the gala for the Austrian Sportspersonalities of the Year 2015.

Season titles

  • 20 titles – (8 overall, 6 giant slalom, 6 slalom)
Season
Discipline
2012Overall
Giant slalom
2013Overall
Slalom
2014Overall
Slalom
2015Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
2016Overall
Giant slalom
2017Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
2018Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
2019Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom

Season standings

Season
Age Overall Slalom Giant
Slalom
Super G Downhill Combined Total points
200818511560   167
2009191491452 10520
20102068634 12691
20112115510   469
20122227  1355
201323   1535
20142431 81222
20152524 61448
2016266  1795
20172725 51599
20182833  1620
201929  51546

Career statistics

Race victories

Hirscher in February 2017.
Hirscher in February 2011.
Hirscher in March 2008.
Slalom Giant
Slalom
Super G Combined Parallel Total
Wins323110367
Podiums6559365138
Season
Date Location Discipline
2010
2 victories
(2 GS)
13 December 2009 Val-d'Isère, FranceGiant slalom
30 January 2010 Kranjska Gora, SloveniaGiant slalom
2011
1 victory
(1 SL)
12 December 2010 Val-d'Isère, FranceSlalom
2012
9 victories
(5 SL, 4 GS)
4 December 2011 Beaver Creek, USAGiant slalom
19 December 2011 Alta Badia, ItalySlalom
5 January 2012 Zagreb Sljeme, CroatiaSlalom
7 January 2012   Adelboden, SwitzerlandGiant slalom
8 January 2012Slalom
24 January 2012 Schladming, AustriaSlalom
18 February 2012 Bansko, BulgariaGiant slalom
19 February 2012Slalom
17 March 2012 Schladming, AustriaGiant slalom
2013
6 victories
(4 SL, 1 GS, 1 PS)
9 December 2012 Val-d'Isère, FranceGiant slalom
18 December 2012 Madonna di Campiglio, ItalySlalom
6 January 2013 Zagreb Sljeme, CroatiaSlalom
13 January 2013   Adelboden, SwitzerlandSlalom
27 January 2013 Kitzbühel, AustriaSlalom
29 January 2013 Moscow, RussiaParallel slalom
2014
5 victories
(3 SL, 2 GS)
17 November 2013 Levi, FinlandSlalom
14 December 2013 Val-d'Isère, FranceGiant slalom
22 December 2013 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom
12 January 2014   Adelboden, SwitzerlandSlalom
16 March 2014   Lenzerheide, SwitzerlandSlalom
2015
8 victories
(3 SL, 5 GS)
26 October 2014 Sölden, AustriaGiant slalom
12 December 2014 Åre, SwedenGiant slalom
14 December 2014Slalom
21 December 2014 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom
6 January 2015 Zagreb Sljeme, CroatiaSlalom
10 January 2015   Adelboden, SwitzerlandGiant slalom
1 March 2015 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyGiant slalom
22 March 2015 Méribel, FranceSlalom
2016
8 victories
(2 SL, 4 GS, 1 PS, 1 SG)
5 December 2015 Beaver Creek, USASuper-G
6 December 2015Giant slalom
12 December 2015 Val-d'Isère, FranceGiant slalom
20 December 2015 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom
6 January 2016 Santa Caterina Valfurva, ItalySlalom
23 February 2016 Stockholm, SwedenParallel slalom
5 March 2016 Kranjska Gora, SloveniaGiant slalom
6 March 2016Slalom
2017
6 victories
(2 SL, 4 GS)
13 November 2016 Levi, FinlandSlalom
18 December 2016 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom
22 January 2017 Kitzbühel, AustriaSlalom
29 January 2017 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyGiant slalom
4 March 2017 Kranjska Gora, SloveniaGiant slalom
18 March 2017 Aspen, USAGiant slalom
2018
13 victories
(7 SL, 6 GS)
3 December 2017 Beaver Creek, USAGiant slalom
10 December 2017 Val-d'Isère, FranceSlalom
17 December 2017 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant slalom
22 December 2017 Madonna di Campiglio, ItalySlalom
4 January 2018 Zagreb Sljeme, CroatiaSlalom
6 January 2018   Adelboden, SwitzerlandGiant slalom
7 January 2018Slalom
14 January 2018   Wengen, SwitzerlandSlalom
23 January 2018 Schladming, AustriaSlalom
28 January 2018 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyGiant slalom
3 March 2018 Kranjska Gora, SloveniaGiant slalom
4 March 2018Slalom
17 March 2018 Åre, SwedenGiant slalom
2019
9 victories
(5 SL, 3 GS, 1 PGS)
18 November 2018 Levi, FinlandSlalom
8 December 2018 Val-d'Isère, FranceGiant Slalom
16 December 2018 Alta Badia, ItalyGiant Slalom
17 December 2018Parallel Giant Slalom
20 December 2018 Saalbach-Hinterglemm, AustriaSlalom
6 January 2019 Zagreb Sljeme, CroatiaSlalom
12 January 2019   Adelboden, SwitzerlandGiant Slalom
13 January 2019Slalom
29 January 2019 Schladming, AustriaSlalom

Podiums

Season Podiums
Super G Giant Slalom Slalom Parallel[1] Combined Total
Σ
2008222
2009111
20102121246
20111121214
201214215192314
201315144111610218
2014213321153513
2015511321184214
20161142226188319
201744241169116
201861711131216
2019325121194215
Total 10231181032249311042674724138
3596556138

1 Including both parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom. Two parallel events have been classified in the sk-db.com results as classic events (the City Event slalom on 23/02/16 and the parallel GS on 18/12/17). They are shown here as parallel events.

World Championships results

Year
Age Slalom Giant
Slalom
Super G Downhill Combined Team Event
200919DSQ14DNF2cancelled
201121injured: did not compete
201323121
201525DNF2211
201727112125
20192912

Olympic results

Year
Age Slalom Giant
Slalom
Super G Downhill Combined
2010205 4
20142424
201828DNF111

Personal life

In June 2018, Hirscher married Laura Moisl, his long time girlfriend. On 7 October 2018, they celebrated the birth of their first child, a son.[31][32]

See also

References

  1. "FIS profile". Fis-ski.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  2. https://www.espn.com/olympics/skiing/story/_/id/27537259/olympic-skiing-champion-hirscher-retires-30
  3. "Marcel Hirscher writes himself into history books with giant slalom victory". CBC Sports. The Associated Press. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  4. "Abrahamson: Marcel Hirscher, the all-time best, finally gets his gold". nbcolympics.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  5. Maese, Rick (18 February 2018). "The best skiers in the world agree: Marcel Hirscher is THE best skier in the world". Retrieved 21 February 2018 via www.washingtonpost.com.
  6. Hodgetts, Rob (18 February 2019). "Marcel Hirscher: The greatest ski racer of all time?". cnn.com. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. "Marcel Hirscher". www.redbull.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  8. uk.eurosport.yahoo.com – Hirscher wins Beaver Creek giant slalom – 4 December 2011
  9. "Marcel Hirscher wins overall title". ESPN. Associated Press. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  10. "Skieur d'Or Award". Snow Kings. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  11. Manuele Lang (14 March 2013). "Alpine skiing: Hirscher assured of overall World Cup". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010.
  12. "Alpine Skiing". Fis-Ski. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  13. "The Hirscher show at Garmisch GS". Ski Racing.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  14. "Hirscher makes it a hat trick in Zagreb". Ski Racing.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  15. "Hirscher skis for win, globe over Neureuther in Meribel". Ski Racing.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  16. "Hirscher takes extraordinary win in Garmisch GS | Skiracing.com". www.skiracing.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. "Hirscher overwhelmed by record 6th overall World Cup title". Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  18. News, ABC. "ABC News". ABC News. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  19. "Marcel Hirscher of Austria Grabs Elusive Gold Medal". New York Times. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  20. "Giant Slalom: Marcel Hirscher Easily Wins 2nd Olympic Gold Medal". New York Times. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  21. "Marcel Hirscher makes Olympic history with second gold". CNN. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  22. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=AL&competitorid=106332&type=career
  23. "Marcel Hirscher becomes Austria's most decorated World Cup skier". NBCSports.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  24. Willemsen, Eric (29 December 2018). "American Mikaela Shiffrin wins record 36th World Cup slalom". APNews.com. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  25. "Hirscher sets World Cup record with ninth Adelboden victory". uk.sports.yahoo.com. 13 January 2019.
  26. "The Latest: Hirscher says he's likely skied in last worlds". APNews.com. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  27. Pete Sharland (4 September 2019). "Skiing legend Marcel Hirscher confirms retirement". Eurosport. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  28. Rob Hodgetts (4 September 2019). "Austrian ski racing great Marcel Hirscher retires". CNN. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  29. "Marcel Hirscher: What the Ski Superstar Does After the End of His Career". www.ispo.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  30. admin. "Marcel Hirscher rules out a comeback: "Absolutely no chance"". Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  31. "Hirscher laut Medienberichten erstmals Vater geworden". Tt.com. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  32. Katharina Freidl (17 January 2017). "Die "First Lady" des Skisports". Weekend.at. Retrieved 7 October 2018.

Media related to Marcel Hirscher at Wikimedia Commons

Awards
Preceded by
Thomas Morgenstern
David Alaba
Austrian Sportsman of the year
2012
2015 – 2019
Succeeded by
David Alaba
Dominic Thiem
Preceded by
Roger Federer
& Rafael Nadal
L'Équipe Champion of Champions
2018
Succeeded by
Rafael Nadal
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