German · Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany · Born 5 February 1992German ski jumper who became the first-ever Olympic women's ski jumping champion in 2014, a surprise victory that came 90 years after men first competed in the sport at the Winter Olympics.
Carina Vogt was born on 5 February 1992 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, and became fascinated with ski jumping after watching it on television as a four-year-old, making her international debut at 12 in 2004. She progressed steadily through the Continental Cup - women's top international competition before the introduction of a World Cup - and made her FIS World Cup debut in January 2012, without ever winning an event on the circuit heading into her first Olympics. Women's ski jumping made its Olympic debut at the 2014 Sochi Games, 90 years after men first competed in the sport at the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympics, following years of advocacy and legal challenges to secure inclusion. Vogt was considered a distant outsider behind favorites Sara Takanashi of Japan and Austria's Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, having never won a World Cup event and sitting a distant second in the season standings. She stunned the field with a lead-taking first jump of 103 meters, then held her nerve to total 247.4 points - just 1.2 ahead of Iraschko-Stolz - to become the first woman in history to win an Olympic ski jumping gold medal, breaking down in tears as she saw her name atop the leaderboard. Vogt validated her surprise triumph by winning back-to-back individual and mixed team World Championship titles in 2015 and 2017, becoming women's ski jumping's only four-time world champion. She was unable to defend her Olympic crown at Pyeongchang 2018, finishing fifth as Norway's Maren Lundby won gold, and worked as a policewoman throughout much of her competitive career. Persistent injuries, including knee surgery in 2021, gradually eroded her form, and she announced her retirement in May 2022 after being left off Germany's roster for the Beijing Olympics.
Becoming the first-ever Olympic women's ski jumping champion at the 2014 Sochi Games, 90 years after the men's event debuted
How They Played
Consistent, technically sound jumper known for peaking at the biggest championship occasions despite a comparatively modest World Cup win record
Lasting Impact
Remembered as a historic pioneer for women's ski jumping, whose unexpected Olympic triumph validated decades of advocacy to bring the discipline into the Winter Games
Career Honours
- 2014 Olympic Gold Medalist - first-ever women's Olympic ski jumping champion
- 4x World Champion (women's ski jumping record)
- 2015 World Champion, Individual Normal Hill and Mixed Team
- 2017 World Champion, Individual Normal Hill and Mixed Team
German Athletes