Manuela Berchtold (born 27 May 1977) is an Australian freestyle skier, who represented Australia at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics.
Early life
editBerchtold was born in 1977 to Ursula Barth and Karl Berchtold in Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. Her mother had represented Switzerland in alpine skiing, while her father was a ski instructor. Her parents had met in Canada before setting in Australia. Berchtold's brother Andrea was also a competitive skier.[1][2][3][4] She grew up in Jindabyne, where she attended Jindabyne Public School before going to high school in Cooma.[5]
Skiing career
editA left knee injury in 1997 led to Berchtold not being considered for the 1998 Winter Olympics. Reconstruction of her left knee in 1997 was followed by a reconstruction of her right knee in 1999.[6][7]
Berchtold was not initially selected for the 2002 Winter Olympics after a knee injury did not allow her to compete in a qualifying event shortly before the games.[8] After an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Berchtold competed in the women's moguls and placed 27th in 2002.[9][10][11]
She competed at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2005, with her best placement being 17th places in the double moguls at all three World Championships. In the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, she placed as high as 8th in January 2004 in Lake Placid, and 9th in January 2006 in Madonna di Campiglio, which was also her last World Cup race.[12]
She was hampered by injuries between Olympics and had a knee reconstruction.[13] In 2006, she came 16th in the qualifying round to make the finals, where she came 14th. She then retired.[14][15][16]
Later life
editShortly after retiring from competition, Berchtold opened a gymnasium, High Country Fitness, in Jindabyne, New South Wales.[17][18][19]
References
edit- ^ Heath, Trista (5 February 2025). "Berchtold awarded Jindabyne Citizen of the Year". The Monaro Post. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (1 October 2005). "Faster, higher, colder". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 28. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ Stanley, Arthur (18 January 2002). "Manuela has one shot at Olympics". The Daily Telegraph. p. 150. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "Junior skiers make it a family affair". The Canberra Times. 4 September 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Dixon, Catriona (6 July 2023). "From the Princess of Moguls to the Queen of Business: Manuela Berchtold's quest for greatness". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Manuela Berchtold". i7sport. Seven Network. 6 February 2002. Archived from the original on 11 April 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Hazlewood, Scott (27 April 2006). "Manuela looks to life after competition". Summit Sun.
- ^ Price, Matt (14 February 2002). "Selection wisdom". i7sport. Seven Network. Archived from the original on 27 February 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Manuela's in". Herald Sun. 6 February 2002. p. 79. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Jacquelin, Magnay (6 February 2002). "Skier wins late spot in team for Games". The Age. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Jeffery, Nicole (6 February 2002). "Berchtold earns right to ski". The Australian. p. 19. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Manuela Berchtold at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- ^ Stanley, Arthur (16 December 2005). "Olympic high flyer - Freestyle ace Manuela on her way to Turin". The Daily Telegraph. p. 101. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (9 February 2006). "Berchtold fired up for finale". The Age. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (13 February 2006). "Berchtold ecstasy after agony". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 12. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Hudson, Fiona (13 February 2006). "Golden touch - Skier rewards Aussie coach". The Daily Telegraph. p. 59. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Less work, more play". Good Health. July 2011.
- ^ "High Country Fitness expands". Summit Sun. 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Our Team". High Country Fitness. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
