Widower breaks silence This was ski icon Rosi Mittermaier's last wish
On January 4, 2023, Rosi Mittermaier died of cancer at the age of 72. Now her husband Christian Neureuther talks about the last weeks and days of the German ski icon's life.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Rosi Mittermaier died on January 4, 2023 at the age of 72 after being diagnosed with cancer eight months earlier.
- Now her husband Christian Neureuther and son Felix spoke about the last months of the ski star's life on the TV show "Gipfeltreffen".
- The 75-year-old widower talks about how "incredibly strong" his wife was and that shortly before she passed away, she expressly asked him not to be sad.
Rosi Mittermaier died on January 4, 2024 at the age of 72. Eight months earlier, the German ski icon had been diagnosed with cancer.
Now her husband Christian Neureuther has spoken publicly for the first time about his wife's final weeks and days. Together with his son Felix, the widower was a guest on the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (BR) TV program "Gipfeltreffen".
During a hike to the 1780-metre-high Wank peak near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the two men spoke with presenter Werner Schmidbauer about his wife and mother Rosi's cancer and the last eight months. "That was the most intense time in our lives," said Christian Neureuther.
Rosi Mittermaier was an "incredibly strong woman"
As soon as presenter Schmidbauer mentioned Mittermaier's name during the picnic on the summit, tears were already rolling down son Felix's face.
In the aftermath, father Christian tried to cover up the sad mood a little.
The 75-year-old widower explained how "incredibly strong" his wife had always been and that shortly before she passed away, she had expressly asked him not to be sad but to look after the children instead.
His late wife had also advised him not to talk about her sporting successes.
When asked by the presenter, Christian Neureuther said that her victories and medals were never important to Rosi Mittermaier. He would also mention this "because it is such a great message".
The desire not to talk about what she had achieved during her career as a ski racer, but what else was important to her in life, were his wife's last words.
Gold Rosi and her Olympic medals
At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, "Gold-Rosi", as Mittermaier was often called, won gold in the downhill and slalom and silver in the giant slalom.
At the end of the 1975/76 winter, the German racer also won the overall World Cup ranking. She then ended her active career at the age of just 25.