Day of sport - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2007 - 55 Euro Cent

The Austrian Post is the day of the sport Nikole Hosp, the overall World Cup winner of the alpine women's ski run of the season 2006/07, on the top brand podium. At the last Alpine World Ski Championships in Aare, the Bichelbacher from the Tyrolean Außerfern won her first gold medal with a victory in the giant slalom. It was a long way before the 24-year-old climbed the top rung of her athletic career. Born on November 6, 1983, she saw her role models as an elementary schoolchild in Petra Kronberger, Anita Wachter and Renate Götschl and emulated them. Early on, she sought the perfect swing in the pole forest and focused fully on the technical disciplines of ski racing. The student of the Stamser-Skisportgymnasium got her first competitive experience in the FIS races, entered the European Cup in 2001 and secured herself a place in the World Cup team of the season 2002/03 with good rankings and as junior world championship third in the slalom. The training with Dorfmeister and Meissnitzer inspired them. Shortly before her 19th birthday Niki Hosp entered the World Cup opening in Sölden for the first time the winner's podium, curiously, there were three simultaneous winners in this race. With renewed self-confidence she drove to her first World Championships in St. Moritz and achieved silver in combination and bronze in special slalom. An ankle break in January 2004 ended her hitherto fantastic season. The next winter she was back and qualified for the World Championship team in Bormio. Her ambition, however, was to be world-class in all disciplines, following the example of the Norwegian Kjetil-Andre Aamodt. So she tried in the Speedbewerben and won in Aare their first Super-G. Despite her missing out on medals in Giant Slalom and combination, she kept her nerve in her first start at the Olympics in Sestriere in February 2006 and won silver in the slalom. In the 2006/07 season, Niki Hosp finally managed to shed the image of a "Blechmarie" - because of her many fourth places. At the World Championships in Aare in February 2007, she was downhill third and world champion in giant slalom. At the end of the season, she was crowned overall World Cup winner. With the big ball that she had always dreamed of, the celebrated racer wants to prove her skills again next winter. To recover from the circus and to escape the unfamiliar hype around her person, Niki Hosp seeks peace in the family circle and in nature. To compensate, she indulges her hobbies such as climbing, motor racing, inline skating and tennis.