Niels Hintermann

Niels Hintermann
Finishing at Bormio in late 2019
Personal information
Born (1995-05-05) 5 May 1995
Bülach, Zürich, Switzerland
OccupationAlpine skier
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
Country Switzerland
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill, Super-G,
Combined
ClubHausen am Albis
World Cup debut28 November 2015 (age 20)
Retired13 March 2026 (age 31)
Websitenielshintermann.ch
Olympics
Teams1 – (2022)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams3 – (2019, 2021, 2023)
Medals0
World Cup
Seasons9 – (20162017, 20192024, 2026)
Wins3 – (2 DH, 1 AC)
Podiums7 – (6 DH, 1 AC)
Overall titles0 – (13th in 2022)
Discipline titles0 – (2nd in AC, 2017)
Medal record
Men's alpine skiing
Representing  Switzerland
World Junior Ski Championships
2015 Hafjell Downhill

Niels Hintermann (born 5 May 1995) is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Bülach, Zürich, he specialized in the speed events of downhill and super-G.

Career

Hintermann made his World Cup debut at age 20 in November 2015 at Lake Louise, and was 40th in the downhill.[1] He scored his first World Cup points three weeks later at Val Gardena, at 29th place in the downhill. Hintermann won his first World Cup race (and first podium) the following season, in the combined at Wengen in January 2017.[2] In October 2024, Hintermann announced that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, which is why he did not compete in any races during the 2024–25 World Cup season.[3] On 13 March 2026, Hintermann declared his immediate retirement, citing what he regarded as the excessive risks of the sport. He stated that before his last downhill races, he had suffered from panic attacks.[4]

World Cup results

Season standings

Season
Age Overall Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
2016 20 122 48 42
2017 21 53 41 37 2
2018 22 injured; did not compete
2019 23 69 55 23 28
2020 24 33 12 19
2021 25 93 55 28 N/a
2022 26 13 27 7
2023 27 24 34 7
2024 28 33 33 6
2025 29 injured; did not compete
2026 30 56 14
Standings through 13 March 2026

Race podiums

  • 3 wins – (2 DH, 1 AC)
  • 7 podiums – (6 DH, 1 AC), 27 top tens
Season
Date Location Discipline Place
2017 13 January 2017    Wengen, Switzerland Combined 1st
2022 18 December 2021 Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 3rd
28 December 2021 Bormio, Italy Downhill 3rd
4 March 2022 Kvitfjell, Norway Downhill 1st
5 March 2022 Downhill 3rd
2023 20 January 2023 Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 3rd
2024 17 February 2024   Kvitfjell, Norway Downhill 1st

World Championship results

Year
Age Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
2019 23 21 23
2021 25 DNF
2023 27 12

Olympic results

Year
Age Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
2022 26 16

References

  1. ^ "Niels Hintermann - Athlete Biography". FIS-ski.com. International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  2. ^ Dunbar, Graham (13 January 2017). "Unheralded Swiss wins World Cup Alpine combined race". apnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  3. ^ Breitenstein, Eva (9 October 2024). "Niels Hintermann ist an Lymphdrüsenkrebs erkrankt – seine Heilungschancen sind gut" [Swiss ski racer Niels Hintermann has been diagnosed with lymphoma – his chances of recovery are good.]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Zürich: NZZ Mediengruppe. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Per sofort - «Will Leben nicht riskieren»: Hintermann verkündet Rücktritt" ["I don’t want to risk my life": Hintermann announces his retirement]. Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (in German). Bern: Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.