Madrid, 17 Feb. Hubertus de Hohenlohe, aristocrat, singer and businessman, raised this Friday to twenty, again representing Mexico and now aged 64, his own record of participation in certain Alpine Skiing World Cups, after having disputed the giant of those of Courchevel and Méribel (France).
Hubertus, son of Alfonso de Hohenlohe and Ira von Fürstenberg, was born in Mexico City on February 2, 1959, and at the age of four moved to Europe, where he lived in Spain and Austria; country where, when he was a schoolboy, he was a trainee at the Mehrerau, in Bregenz (Vorarlberg), and where he very quickly discovered his passion for winter sports.
He founded the Mexican Ski Federation in 1981, the year he competed in the Alpine Skiing World Cup for the first time, in the French resort of Val d’Isère, a season before making his World Cup debut in Schladming. (Austria). ).
From those of Schladming’82 until this Friday, during his participation in the disputed giant in Courchevel, Hubertus has played in twenty World Cups, bringing to this figure his own historic record of appearances in these championships.
Hubertus, a great animator – especially when he was younger – of these events, never had the level to win medals; but he was always a skilled skier. This Friday, at the age of 64, he did enough not to ‘spit’ on the long technical, hard and demanding track of L’Eclipse de Courchevel -starting at 1730 meters above sea level and 450 meters in altitude-, which he did not finish. I missed a door. And he was disqualified.
Still representing Mexico, the aristocratic “Peter Pan” of skiing has also participated in six Winter Olympics: he made his debut in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina, from that of the former Yugoslavia) in 1984; and he took part, thirty years later, for the last time, in those of Sotchi (Russia), the course of which he missed in the first run of the slalom.
His appearances at the Winter Games would have been a little more numerous if the Mexican Olympic Committee – with which he had some controversies years ago – had also entered him for the Games of Nagano ’98 (Japan) and Turin 2006 (Italy). In which, of course, he was also present, although without competition.
He was also in the penultimate, those of PyeongChang (South Korea), five years ago; in which he designed the competition uniforms of his fellow participants.
The conditions to be Olympic are stricter than to participate in the world championships. Hubertus, who did not participate in the Beijing Games last year, never gives up; and this Friday, he improved his own record in World Cups, which he intends to continue to increase in two years in those of Saalbach (Austria).
The friendly and eccentric Hubertus has always stood out as a media figure in all the sporting events he has participated in, in which he has almost always been noticed off the tracks as well.
He has performed as a singer in a few World Cup opening ceremonies, including the only ones hosted by Spain; in 1996, in Sierra Nevada (Granada), where he shared an extra-sporting role with the Senegalese Lamine Guaye, who was about to be expelled from these championships when he paraded at the Opening -in which played the unforgettable Paco and Blanca Fernández as masters of ceremonies Ochoa, the only Spanish alpine skiers to win Olympic medals, as well as an Italian doctor who had painted his face black.
Only a year later, wearing the Juventus jersey, he faced relegation – the queen event, the most dangerous – of the World Cups in Sestriere (Italy). At the Piedmont station near Turin, Hohenlohe practically ran home: his mother, the Italian-German princess Ira von Fürstenberg, was the niece of the powerful FIAT owner, Gianni Agnell.
Whenever he has been requested by the EFE Agency in several of the World Cups or the Olympic Games in which he has participated, Hubertus has always been kind and caring.
“I would like to beat those who don’t ski all year round”, underlined the Mexican at the Lillehammer ’94 Games (Norway). And four years later, in those of Nagano (Japan) -in which he did not compete- and in Hakuba, headquarters of the alpine ski speed events, he told Efe that he aspired “to improve” , the following year, in Vail (USA), “the record for participation” in major events held by the Austrian Marc Girardelli, who won all his sporting victories for the Luxembourg federation.
He improved it. Also in spades.
In the Austrian station of Sankt Anton (Tyrol), in 2001, he already has eleven appearances in World Cups; and in 2010, at the Games in Vancouver (Canada), he finished the slalom 28 seconds behind the winner, the Italian Giuliano Razzoli and in 52nd place.
Four years later, he took part in the Games for the last time, in Sochi (Russia). But since then, he has continued to compete in World Cups. This Friday, he competed, for the twentieth time and improving his own record, those of Courchevel and Méribel. And he intends to improve his record within two years, in those of Saalbach, Austria.
Hubertus has no limits. EFE
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