Hanni Wenzel Liechtenstein alpine skier Date of Birth: 14.12.1956 Country: Liechtenstein

1. Early Life and Career
2. Olympic Success
3. Dominating the World Cup
4. Retirement and Legacy
5. Family and Later Life

Early Life and Career

Hannelore "Hanni" Wenzel was born on December 14, 1956, in Oberstdorf, West Germany, to Sudeten German parents. She moved to Liechtenstein with her family in 1964. After winning gold in the slalom and silver in the combined at the 1974 World Championships in St. Moritz, Liechtenstein granted citizenship to the Wenzel family.

Olympic Success

At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Wenzel won a bronze medal in the giant slalom and a bronze in the combined, which only counted towards the World Championships since the combined was not yet an Olympic event. In 1978, she became the first Liechtenstein citizen to win the overall World Cup title.

The 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid proved to be Wenzel's greatest triumph. She won silver in the downhill, a mere seven-tenths of a second behind the renowned Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll. Three days later, she took gold in the giant slalom, finishing almost half a second ahead of Irene Epple of West Germany. She concluded her Olympic run with a decisive victory in the slalom, beating second-place finisher Christa Kinshofer by 1.5 seconds. Wenzel also won the combined event, which still counted only towards the World Championships.

Dominating the World Cup

Wenzel captured her second overall World Cup title in 1980, the same year her brother Andreas won the men's title. It remains the only instance in history where siblings have simultaneously won the World Cup in their respective categories.

Retirement and Legacy

Wenzel retired in 1984 after an illustrious career that included two Olympic gold medals, four World Championship titles, two World Cup overall titles, and 33 World Cup victories. In total, she and her brother Andreas account for six of Liechtenstein's nine Olympic medals, including all the gold and silver.

Family and Later Life

After retiring, Wenzel married Austrian skier Harti Weirather. Their daughter, Tina Weirather, went on to achieve success in both the Olympics and World Championships, representing Liechtenstein. Wenzel's younger sister Petra Wenzel also competed in skiing and participated in two Olympic Games.