Martin Freinademetz

Martin "Frejn" Freinademetz (born December 10, 1969 in Innsbruck ) is a former Austrian professional snowboarder and is considered one of the first successful athletes in the sport in Europe.

biography

As the son of a bridge engineer and a teacher, other plans were originally planned for his career. Martin first came into contact with snowboards in his youth and soon immersed himself in the sport, which was still relatively unknown in Europe at the time. In 1988 he was accepted into the Burton Race Team . A year later he completed his training in Innsbruck and became Tyrolean champion that same year.

In the following years, Martin Freinademetz rose to become one of the most influential European professional snowboarders and was also involved in sport and its organization away from the slopes. He coordinated several major competitions and also worked for the Austrian Snowboarding Association , the Professional Snowboarder Association and the International Snowboarding Federation . He is considered one of the most successful and influential snowboarders in Europe, not only because of his achievements, but also because of his extensive administrative work for the sport. For years he also acted as a (co-) organizer of many large snowboard events such as B. the Kaunertal Opening , Speed ​​is the Need or the Lords of the Boards in Fieberbrunn .

At the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Freinademetz caused a scandal: after he had rioted in a hotel while drunk, he was excluded from the games, which sparked heated discussions about the still young sport when it first competed in the Olympics.

Together with Dieter Happ , he gave an improvised performance in Freestyle Motocross at Air & Style 2002 in Seefeld in Tyrol and thus incorporated this discipline into the competition.

After his career as a professional snowboarder, he became chairman of the newly founded Austrian Snowboard Association (New Austrian Snowboard Association) and also focused on motocross (freestyle and rally ), the organization of adventure tours in Romania and has been a construction manager since 2004. In Sibiu he organizes, among other things, the Red Bull Romaniacs , one of the most demanding enduro rallies in the world, in which many globally established drivers also take part.

successes

• 9-time Austrian snowboard champion
• 3-time European snowboard champion
• 4-time World Pro Tour winner
• 2-time world champion ( ISF )
• Alpine Snowboarder of the Year

Web links

• Martin Freinademetz in the database of the International Ski Association (English)
• XVenture.net Official website of the off-road events
• Red Bull Romaniacs Official website of the Enduro Rally Romaniacs