Germany’s teen alpine ski star Romy Ertl: My role models are my mum and Mikaela Shiffrin
The 16-year-old daughter of three-time Olympic medallist Martina discusses her early rise in skiing and how her illustrious parent inspired her. Check out our exclusive interview ahead of her debut at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024.
Alpine Skiing
Describing Romy Ertl as a precocious talent is no exaggeration. Can you believe that the German alpine skier won her first race at the tender age of two and a half?
"Because I was the only one in that age group!" chuckles the 16-year-old, who spoke exclusively to Olympics.com ahead of her debut at the Winter Youth Olympics Gangwon 2024.
"My mum was skiing in front of me, and I was skiing in her line behind," - she recalls - "Yeah, I was the youngest in the whole village and it was my first little race."
Romy is the daughter of Martina Ertl, a three-time Olympic medallist and double world champion. The young German hit the slopes aged just one and a half: "My mother bought the smallest ski boots and the smallest skis. Then I was getting on skis, and I really enjoyed it since day one."
"I want to be the best one in Germany"
The rising skiing talent grew up in the small Bavarian town of Lenggries, joining the local ski club at the age of four. After trying horse riding, skiing became her focus, and later, she participated in her first national competitions. "The first year, I was not that good because I was just a little girl," she remembers.
While her skiing was clean, and her technique was good, she couldn’t find the right lines and feeling on the snow. "Then I said to my mum when I was ten, 'I want to be the best one in Germany in my age.' And then she said, 'Okay, you just have to listen to me and do what I say, and then you will see.'" One year later, she was winning "almost every race", consistently staying ahead of her peers.
Ertl then went on to sweep all the national titles in her age category and also competed at the international level before making her senior debut this season in FIS events.
Romy Ertl during the 2023 Alpe Cimbra, a prestigious youth international event organised in Italy
In the footsteps of mum Martina
Mum Martina has been following her competition progress closely since those early races: "For me, my mum is like my biggest role model and idol in every kind of thing and every aspect of my life," Romy shared with us.
"She is, for me, the best mum I could ever wish for. She's always there for me and also showed me skiing. It's very impressive what she achieved in her life and career. I will try to follow in her footsteps, and we will see how that works out."
Mum’s advice was crucial for Romy’s development: "Until I was ten, I did not take it that seriously. I was a kid, and it was just fun and skiing. Then my mum said, ‘Okay, you have to train more and also do more physical training,’" Ertl shared.
Intense gym sessions and even bike training were incorporated into her preparation, but work had to be done on the snow too: “I did a lot of free skiing to improve my technique. I also matured a bit more, and one or two years later, it was easier to ski more like an adult.”
Mikaela Shiffrin's advice
Ertl is also seeking inspiration from the current stars of the sport: “Mikaela Shiffrin, for me, is a role model because she's not only a great skier but also a nice and sympathetic person,” she said. The German teen also had the chance to meet her in person: “It was pretty cool. She was very nice and kind. She's the greatest skier, and I also look up to her, watching her videos when she's skiing to learn something and maybe incorporate it into my skiing a bit.”
The young all-rounder shared the valuable advice she received from Team USA's double Olympic champion: “She told me that it's really good to look up to World Cup athletes, but I have to look to everyone. She said to me, ‘Don't just look at me, but also at Federica Brignone or Petra Vlhova, to observe their techniques and learn something from everybody, picking up the pieces you can incorporate into your skiing.’”
Romy Ertl at the Jeongseon ski resort after the Super G training runs.
Romy's dreams
The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics hold a special significance for Ertl: “It's nice for us young people to compete and meet all these other girls and boys from all over the world,” she said.
Whether it's technical disciplines or speed, the young skier hopes to continue doing what she loves: “I love skiing because you're outdoors, in nature. And when I'm skiing, it feels like I'm flying a little bit.”
Will Romy be able to replicate the success of her mother? Only time will tell: “My dreams are to get better and better in skiing every day and really work hard for it,” she said.
“Of course, there is a big dream to participate in the big Olympics one day, or the World Championships, or in general, to enter the World Cup. I will try my best, and then we will see.”
If you want to catch Romy's highlights and results at Gangwon 2024, check the alpine skiing news on Olympics.com, where you can also watch live action from the Winter Youth Olympic Games.