Hubertus von Hohenlohe

Hubertus Rudolph zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg (born 2 February 1959; Spanish pronunciation: [uˈβeɾtus ruˈðolf swoenˈloe laŋxemˈbuɾɣ]), commonly known as Hubertus von Hohenlohe, is a Mexican alpine skier, photographer, and businessman. He was previously a pop singer using the names Andy Himalaya and Royal Disaster. He is descended from the royal family of the historic principality of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in what is now northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany.[1]

Hubertus von Hohenlohe
Hohenlohe in 2015
Born (1959-02-02) February 2, 1959
Mexico City, Mexico
OccupationAlpine skier
Skiing career
DisciplinesDH, SG, GS, SL, combined
World Cup debutDecember 12, 1981
Websitewww.hubertushohenlohe.com
Olympics
Teams6 (1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2010, 2014)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams19 (1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Medals0
World Cup
Seasons13
Podiums0

Life and family
Coats of arms of the principality of Hohenlohe; 1: Holy Roman Empire; 2: unknown; 3: county of Hohenlohe; 4: county of Gleichen; 5: county of Langenburg.

Hubertus, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was born as the second son of Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, Hubertus was born in Mexico City, Mexico, where his father ran a Volkswagen factory. His maternal grandparents were Tassilo, Prince of Fürstenberg (1903–1987) and Clara Agnelli, and his maternal great-grandparents were Karl Emil, Prince of Fürstenberg (1867–1945) and the Hungarian Countess Maria Mathilde Georgina Festetics de Tolna (24 May 1881 – 2 March 1953). His grandmother is half Mexican.[2]

He lived in Mexico for the first four years of his life and then moved to Spain. He later studied in Austria and his main residence was in Vienna, where he works as a photographer and artist. Although he has Mexican nationality, which makes him eligible to compete for Mexico, he only spends a few weeks per year there. He is fluent in several languages and grew up in Europe, mainly Austria.

He had a brother named Christoph (1956–2006) and has two half-sisters, Arriana Theresa, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 1975) and Désirée, Countess d'Ursel (b. 1980). He currently resides in Liechtenstein, of which he is also a citizen.[3] His uncle, Max von Hohenlohe, competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics. He was a first cousin of the late Prince Marco of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 19th Duke of Medinaceli. He is married to Simona Gandolfi, cousin of the famous Italian skier Alberto Tomba.[4]

He acted as co-producer for Yello and Shirley Bassey's 1987 collaborative single "The Rhythm Divine".[5] He has work on display with the Art of the Olympians.[6] He hosts the travel show Hubertusjagd on Redbull TV.[7]

Sports career
The athletes from Mexico entering the stadium at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Hohenlohe founded the Mexican Ski Federation in 1981.[8] He first skied for Mexico at a Winter Olympics at the 1984 games in Sarajevo, and he managed to finish 26th in slalom. After the 1984 Winter Olympics, Hohenlohe managed to participate in 1988, 1992, and 1994 Games.[9] He qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, but the Mexican Olympic Committee decided not to send a one-man team to the Winter Games that year.

Hohenlohe has stated that the only reason why he continues to participate is because it seems that the "exotic skiers" (those from countries without a tradition in winter sports) are disappearing, and that he wants to keep that tradition alive.[8] Since 1982, he has participated in 15 World Championships and set a World Record. Hohenlohe was expected to retire following the 2007 Alpine Skiing World Championships, after breaking his leg during a World Cup slalom race on January 28, 2007, eliminating him from the competition in Åre.[10]

He came back to competition in 2009 and competed in his 12th World Championship, the 2009 Alpine Skiing World Championships.

He was the sole athlete in the Mexican team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He participated in two alpine skiing disciplines, the Men's Giant Slalom (78th) and the Men's Slalom (46th).[11] At 51, he was the oldest athlete at the games.[12] He also competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics,[13] where he was Mexico's sole athlete again. He participated in slalom but did not finish after a fall during the first run.[14]

In 2015, he was joined by Sarah Schleper on the Mexican ski team, doubling its size,[8] at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships of that year.

Hohenlohe, affectionately called El Príncipe, mooted retiring for 2017,[8] but instead decided to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics.[15] Another two hopes for Alpine Mexico, aside from Hubertus, and Schleper, are Rodolfo Dickson and Jocelyn McGillivray. Additionally, three more hope to represent Mexico, Robby Franco in freestyle skiing, Sandra Hillen in snowboard and German Madrazo in Cross-country skiing.[16][17][18][19] He failed to qualify for the 2018 Olympics, but designed the race suits for the Mexican alpine skiers.[20]

World Championships results

Hohenlohe participated at 19 editions of FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, from Schladming 1982 to Cortina 2021, from the age of 23 up to 62.[21]

Year
Age Slalom Giant
Slalom		 Super-G Downhill Combined
198223 26 37 41 47
198526 26 40 28
198728 34 56 50 46
198930 26 51 63 35
199132 46 56 51
199334 42 42 41
199637 42 73 68 42
199738 41 62
199940 DNF
200142 55
200344 60 76
200546 60 38
200950 62 DNS2 (QUAL)
201152 69 DNS2 (QUAL)
201354 DSQ1 (QUAL)
201556 46 78 (QUAL)
201758 DSQ DNF (QUAL)
201960 76 (QUAL) 100 (QUAL)
202162 DNF (QUAL) DNF1
202364 67 (QUAL) DNF1

Ancestry

References

Notes

  1. He possesses dual citizenship in the country of his birth, Mexico, and in the country of his legal domicile, Liechtenstein. While Mexican law does not recognize nobility or hereditary titles, Liechtenstein recognizes both.
  2. "Why Is a German Prince Skiing For Mexico?". Time. 2010-02-13. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  3. "Mexikos Skifahrer tritt in Sotschi als Mariachi an". N24 Nachrichten. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  4. "Prince Hubertus zu Hohenlohe: Blue Hunter".
  5. "Yello Featuring Shirley Bassey – The Rhythm Divine". Discogs. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  6. "Art of the Olympians | Hubertus von Hohenlohe".
  7. "Hubertusjagd | A hunt for the world's most fascinating places". Red Bull TV. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  8. Tik Root (6 March 2015). "Mariachi Man: Prince Hubertus and the Mexican ski team he helped create". Sports Illustrated.
  9. Victor Mather (17 November 2017). "Nigeria Has an Olympic-Level Bobsled Team, and Tonga Had a Luger". New York Times.
  10. "Ski Racing Media".
  11. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-alpine-skiing/athletes/hubertus-von-hohenlohe_ath1056076cr.html
  12. "Ivan Šola je sa 47 godina među "starcima" Igara".
  13. Zaccardi, Nick (2 January 2014). "Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe of Mexico will be second oldest Winter Olympian ever". NBC Olympic Talk. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  14. Olympics Mexican mariachi von Hohenlohe crashes out slalom Global Post, retrieved 28 February 2014
  15. "Mexican prince eyes title as oldest Winter Olympian ever". AOL. 23 February 2017.
  16. Adriana Terrazas (31 October 2017). "'Tres' company for the Mexico ski team in the Winter Olympics". ESPN.
  17. "Tres mexicanos acudirán a Pyeongchang 2018" (in Spanish). Esportes.MX. 18 May 2017.
  18. "México estará presente en los Juegos Olímpicos Invernales de 2018" (in Spanish). SIPSE.com. 11 August 2017.
  19. Carlos Alberto Cruz (23 February 2017). "México con cuatro o cinco atletas a Pyeongchang 2018". El Big Data.
  20. Boren, Cindy (11 February 2018). "The Mexican Olympic ski team's Day of the Dead uniforms will haunt you". The Washington Post.
  21. "Hubertus Von Hohenlohe, a 62 anni il suo 19° Mondiale!" (in Italian). sciaremag.it. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
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