The First and the Last: Tour De Ski Icon Hannawald Turns 50

Hannawald with Special Wish for His 50th

With his "Grand Slam" at the Four Hills Tournament, Sven Hannawald is an exceptional figure in ski jumping. On his 50th birthday, the current expert hopes for a German tournament victory.

Hannawald was the first ski jumper to win all competitions of the Four Hills Tournament in a single winter. Almost a quarter of a century later, he remains the last German to triumph at this classic event. The celebrated "Hanni" is celebrating his 50th birthday this Saturday and eagerly wishes for a successor as tournament champion.

"I want to hand over my backpack and finally have a successor," said Hannawald, who triumphed in the winter of 2001/02 when the ski jumping hype in Germany peaked. RTL broadcast the tournament, Günther Jauch hosted it, and over ten million viewers tuned in - Hannawald and his rival Martin Schmitt were pop stars of that era.

Hannawald Describes Hard Times

The introverted resident of the Black Forest struggled with fame. "It was too much for me. I didn’t care whether I could achieve the silly fourth win. I just wanted the whole theater to be over," Hannawald once told SWR. He gave everything for his childhood dream over many years and ultimately paid a heavy price, leading him to burnout.

Among many successful German ski jumpers, he remains one of the most successful to this day. Shortly after his tournament triumph, he became an Olympic champion with the German team in Salt Lake City 2002, also taking individual silver. He was twice team world champion and twice ski flying world champion.

Hannawald could not replicate his dream season of 2001/02, and in 2005 he ended his career due to mental health issues. Afterward, he tried his hand at motorsport and conducted seminars but remained deeply connected to ski jumping - now as an ARD expert. His search for a successor will accompany Hannawald, the once-young prodigy, this winter as he turns fifty.