Austrian · Judenburg, Austria · Born 6 August 1975Austrian alpine skier nicknamed the 'Speed Queen', one of the most successful World Cup racers in history with 46 victories, despite never winning an Olympic gold medal.
Renate Götschl was born on 6 August 1975 in Judenburg, Styria, and attended the skiing and trade school in Schladming before beginning FIS competition at 15. She made a stunning World Cup debut on 14 March 1993, winning the slalom in Lillehammer, Norway, at just 17 years old, though she would go on to build her career almost entirely around the speed disciplines. Götschl's breakthrough season came in 1996-97, when she was crowned 'Speed Queen' for the first time after winning the downhill World Cup title, a nickname that stuck for the rest of her career. She went on to win the overall World Cup title in the 1999-2000 season and ultimately claimed ten World Cup discipline titles across her career - five in downhill, three in super-G, and two in combined - while amassing 110 World Cup podiums, trailing only Annemarie Moser-Pröll on the all-time list. Her favourite venue was Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where she won a record ten World Cup races, a mark not surpassed until Lindsey Vonn. Despite her overwhelming World Cup dominance, Olympic gold eluded Götschl across four Games; her best results came at Salt Lake City 2002, where she won silver in the combined and bronze in the downhill. She fared better at the World Championships, winning nine medals including three golds - combined at Sestriere in 1997, downhill at Vail in 1999, and the team event at Åre in 2007. She retired in August 2009 after 16 seasons on the World Cup circuit, finishing with 46 career wins, then the fourth-highest total in women's alpine skiing history.
Amassing 46 World Cup victories and the 2000 overall World Cup title, despite Olympic gold eluding her across four Games
How They Played
Powerful downhill and super-G specialist known as a 'power racer' for her aggressive, high-speed technique on demanding courses
Lasting Impact
Remembered as one of the finest speed skiers in World Cup history, whose sustained dominance over downhill and super-G across 16 seasons put her among the sport's all-time greats
Career Honours
- 2000 Overall World Cup Champion
- 10x World Cup Discipline Champion (5 Downhill, 3 Super-G, 2 Combined)
- 3x World Championship Gold Medalist (1997, 1999, 2007)
- 46 career World Cup victories, 110 podiums
Austrian Athletes