Austrian · Arzl im Pitztal, Austria · Born 28 February 1978Austrian alpine skier nicknamed 'Der Blitz aus Pitz', a double Olympic champion at the 2006 Turin Games and 2006 overall World Cup champion with more World Cup victories than any other Austrian man.
Benjamin Raich was born on 28 February 1978 in Arzl im Pitztal, Austria, and dedicated himself fully to ski racing at 18 after attending the ski-focused gymnasium in Stams. Nicknamed 'Der Blitz aus Pitz' (The Lightning from Pitz), he won Junior World Championship titles in both slalom and giant slalom before making his senior World Cup debut in 1996. Raich claimed his first Olympic medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, taking bronze in both the combined and slalom. His career peaked in the mid-2000s: at the 2005 World Championships in Bormio he won gold in combined and slalom, and in the 2005-06 season he won seven World Cup races to capture his first overall World Cup title. That momentum carried into the 2006 Turin Olympics, where after a disqualification in the combined, he bounced back to win gold in the giant slalom on 20 February and, three days later, a second gold in the slalom - providing Austria's only golds of those Games. Raich remained a fixture near the top of the World Cup standings for years afterward, finishing in the top three of the overall rankings seven consecutive seasons and becoming the first skier to win both the slalom and giant slalom discipline titles in the same year (2005). He announced his retirement in September 2015 after 19 seasons, with 36 World Cup victories - the most of any Austrian man in history - 14 combined Olympic and World Championship medals, and a then-record 441 World Cup starts. He is married to fellow Austrian ski racer Marlies Schild.
Winning two Olympic golds at the 2006 Turin Games and becoming the most successful Austrian male skier in World Cup history
How They Played
Consistent, tactically sharp technical skier equally strong in slalom, giant slalom, and combined, known for peaking at major championships
Lasting Impact
Remembered as one of Austria's greatest technical skiers, whose remarkable longevity kept him among the sport's elite for nearly two decades
Career Honours
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (2006 Giant Slalom and Slalom)
- 2006 Overall World Cup Champion
- 2005 World Champion, Slalom and Combined
- 36 career World Cup wins, the most by any Austrian man
Austrian Athletes