Matthias Mayer
The Austrian downhiller who shocked the world by winning Olympic gold in his very first race at the Games.
Born 1990 (age 36)·Austrian alpine skier·Birthday: June 9·Millennials
Biography
Matthias Mayer carries a formidable skiing lineage, but he carved his own legacy with a brand of fearless, attacking skiing. The son of Olympic medalist Helmut Mayer, he announced himself not with gradual success but with a seismic bang. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, in his first-ever Olympic race, the unheralded Mayer charged down the Rosa Khutor course to seize the downhill gold, a victory that felt both shocking and inevitable. He proved it was no fluke by becoming the first male alpine skier to win gold in three consecutive Olympics, adding Super-G titles in 2018 and 2022. His style was pure, uncomplicated power—a skier who trusted his line and his speed implicitly. Mayer's career, marked by this unique Olympic consistency, ended on his own terms after the 2023 season, leaving as a quiet giant of the speed events.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Matthias was born in 1990, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Matthias Was Born
The biggest hits of 1990
#1 Movie
Home Alone
Best Picture
Dances with Wolves
#1 TV Show
Roseanne
Matthias's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1990Born
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1995Started school
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2003Became a teenager
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2006Could drive
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2008Could vote
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2011Turned 21
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2020Turned 30
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 36 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Olympic downhill gold medal in his first-ever Olympic race at the 2014 Sochi Games.
- Became the first male alpine skier to win gold medals at three consecutive Winter Olympics (2014, 2018, 2022).
- Claimed Olympic Super-G gold at both the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Games.
- Earned nine World Cup race victories throughout his career, primarily in downhill and Super-G.
Did You Know?
He is the son of Helmut Mayer, who won an Olympic silver medal in alpine skiing in 1988.
Mayer initially wanted to be a ski jumper before focusing on alpine racing.
He won his first Olympic gold medal on the same slope where his father had competed decades earlier.
After retirement, he began working as a helicopter rescue pilot in Austria.
“I just tried to ski like I know I can. I had no pressure, I was just a young guy.”
