Garmisch-Partenkirchen mourns the loss of Rosi Mittermaier: The winter sports resort has not only lost a ski icon, but also a great figure. Friends and companions describe “Gold-Rosi”, who died at the age of 72 after a serious illness, as a down-to-earth, helpful and cordial person.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen – modesty was the hallmark Rosi Mittermaier the end. Her former trainer Heinz Mohr, who helped her win two gold medals in the downhill and slalom at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, can still remember this quality well. “She never wanted to attract attention, she was more reserved,” reports the alpine skiing expert, who lives in Mittenwald. “She had an incredible talent, a force of nature. You just had to lure them out.” And so the coach reached into his bag of tricks to give his protégé a helping hand – and, for example, cheered on loudly and for ages at the all-important start. “It’s crazy how she exploded there.”
The career of the exceptional athlete, who was already on skis at the age of three, is impressive: the native of Munich, who grew up on the idyllic Winklmoosalm above Reit im Winkl and in Garmisch-Partenkirchen found her second home, rose to the top of ski racing. Especially in the 1970s, “Gold-Rosi”, as she is affectionately called by her fans, was the outstanding German skier.
Rosi Mittermaier: Natural and down-to-earth manner preserved
What many, especially sports colleagues, appreciated about her: Success never went to her head. She remained true to herself, kept her natural and down-to-earth nature, was close to home and nature. A star without airs and graces. For them, people mattered. Above all the family. It was her heart and soul of her family – and a whole generation of skis. “She was one of us” is in Garmisch-Partenkirchen heard again and again. Above all, her social streak impressed the people in Werdenfelser Land. Rosi Mittermaier was fully committed to the good cause, be it for young athletes or the German Children’s Rheumatism Foundation, to name just two examples. The commitment to health and exercise was also a matter close to her heart.
The dismay at her death, which came as a surprise to many, is great. At the age of only 72, the honorary citizen of the famous winter sports resort “passed away peacefully with her family after a serious illness”. This shared her husband Christian Neureuther as well as their two children Ameli and Felix Neureuther.
Ice hockey veteran Franz Reindl finds haunting words. “I was deeply shocked by the news. That lets everyday life come to a standstill. That means an unbelievable loss,” says the Garmisch-Partenkirchner, who knew Rosi Mittermaier well. In 1976 he also competed in the Olympics in the Alpine republic – albeit with the national ice hockey team, which surprisingly won bronze as an outsider at the time. “She was a great person,” he continues – always cheerful and helpful. And she “electrified” the other athletes with her successes.
“It’s sad that she had to die so young”
“It’s sad that she had to die so young,” says Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Bär from Seehausen, brother-in-law of the deceased. In the 1970s, the orthopedist was the medical supervisor of the German women’s national ski team. Rosi Mittermaier was also one of his protégés. “She was an incredibly open person,” the doctor recalls.
The participation in the two ski clubs in the district town is also great. “Rosi shaped the ski world in general and in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen,” explains Martina Betz, Chairwoman of the Garmisch Ski Club. “She was an extraordinary person.” It sounds similar to her colleague from the Ski Club Partenkirchen, Michael Maurer. “She’s handled her success in a good way,” he says.
Comparable tones can be heard from politics. “Rosi never made a fuss about her own person,” Garmisch-Partenkirchen Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU) told Bayerischer Rundfunk. “Bavaria is losing a great athlete and a passionate fighter for solidarity,” reads a press release by Oberammergau resident Florian Streibl, who is the leader of the Free Voters parliamentary group in the state parliament. And CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt, to whose constituency the district belongs, explains: “She was a cosmopolitan person whose warm-hearted, social commitment as well as her commitment to her loved ones and to sport were unparalleled.”
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