Sport Ambassadors

Johannes Rydzek — Nordic Combined

Career Highlights:

• Olympic Games: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
• World Championships: 6 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze
• World Cup Victories: 25

Born and raised in Oberstdorf, Johannes inherited an innate passion for winter sports. His devotion to the mountains and valleys of the Allgäu runs deep. From an early age, he demonstrated remarkable enthusiasm for both cross-country and alpine skiing. Johannes committed to Nordic combined early in his career and quickly began accumulating impressive achievements. At sixteen, he made his World Cup debut; at eighteen, he claimed his first Olympic medal; at nineteen, he earned three World Championship silver medals; at twenty-two, a second Olympic medal; and at twenty-five, he became a six-time World Champion.

Beyond competitive sport, Johannes cherishes time spent with his wife Lissi, close friends, and family. He has already begun preparing for life after athletics, pursuing studies in industrial engineering at Kempten University.

Vinzenz Geiger — Nordic Combined

Career Highlights:

• Olympic Games: 1 Gold
• Junior World Championships: 1 Gold, 2 Silver
• World Championships: 1 Silver
• World Cup Victories: 3

As an emerging talent in Nordic combined, Vinzenz has demonstrated remarkable progression. While he served as a reserve athlete at the 2017 World Championships in Lahti without competing, he crowned his Olympic debut with a gold medal. His exceptional abilities regularly shine through in World Cup competitions, where he challenges established athletes such as Eric Frenzel and Johannes Rydzek. Sport remains central to his personal life as well—he is an avid football enthusiast.

Katharina Althaus — Ski Jumping

Career Highlights:

• Olympic Games: 1 Silver
• World Championships: 3 Gold, 1 Silver
• World Cup Victories: 7

This young athlete began her ski jumping journey at the age of five. At her second Olympic appearance, Katharina realized her dream of winning a medal. After placing twenty-third in Sochi (2014), she secured the silver medal in Pyeongchang (2018) with two exceptional jumps—her greatest achievement following the mixed team World Championship title in 2015.

These performances bring her remarkably close to her desired superpower: the ability to fly.

Karl Geiger — Ski Jumping

Career Highlights:

• Olympic Games: 1 Silver
• World Championships: 2 Gold, 1 Silver
• World Cup Victories: 2

Karl's desired superpower is easily stated: flight. With a personal best distance of 243.5 meters, one can scarcely call this merely a wish. Through consistent, powerful World Cup performances, he has steadily advanced through the ranks, achieving one of his greatest successes with the team silver medal in Pyeongchang.

Yet he remains unsatisfied, continuing to work diligently toward competing for medals in 2021 on his home hill.

Hanna Kolb — Cross-Country Skiing

Career Highlights:

• Olympic Games: Three participations (2010, 2014, 2018)
• World Championships: 1 Gold at U23 level, two participations in 2013 and 2017

Hanna Kolb's cross-country skiing career began at age ten, initially as a recreational pursuit. Ambition quickly emerged, and by eleven she was competing in youth-level events. Her trajectory accelerated rapidly—after national races in the DSV youth cup, she participated in the Junior World Championships at just sixteen. In the U23 category, Hanna, who dedicated herself entirely to sprint disciplines, became World Champion. Three Olympic participations and two World Championship starts at the senior level followed.

After the 2018 season, Hanna Kolb retired from competitive sport and will henceforth be present as an enthusiastic supporter.

Tobias Angerer — Cross-Country Skiing

Career Highlights:

• Olympic Games: 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
• World Championships: 4 Silver, 2 Bronze
• World Cup Victories: 16

Early dedication proved fruitful for Tobias Angerer. At two years old, he first stepped onto cross-country skis, steadily advancing into the world elite. In 2004 in Falun, he achieved his first World Cup victory, followed by two overall World Cup titles in the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons. Another significant achievement was his victory in the inaugural FIS Tour de Ski during the 2006/07 season. In total, this personable athlete from Traunstein recorded eleven World Cup victories in individual events.

Cross-country skiing and winter sport continue to occupy a central place in his life. Since summer 2018, he has served as Vice President of the German Ski Association.