The story behind Benjamin Karl’s viral celebration at the Winter Olympics

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — Austrian snowboarder Benjamin Karl knew exactly what he would do if he won a gold medal at this year’s Winter Olympics; what he hadn’t planned for was the reaction from the rest of the world.

After retaining his parallel giant slalom crown in Livigno on Sunday, the 40-year-old celebrated by ripping off his top, baring his chest to the frenzied crowd, before flexing his muscles and dropping facedown on the snow.

The impassioned celebration was quickly clipped and shared across social media, with thousands enjoying what initially looked like a release of unbridled, unrehearsed joy.

And while Karl was absolutely over-the-moon with his gold medal moment, the reaction was very much planned as a tribute to his hero, Hermann Maier.

The skiing legend was one of the reasons that Karl got into the sport, and he would often celebrate his victories by ripping off his top.

“It was 25 years in my mind when I saw Hermann Maier in 2001 ripping off his shirt after winning the overall World Cup,” Karl told CNN Sports on Monday.

“He was my one and only idol and I waited my whole career for the right moment to do it, in tribute to him.”

Karl can now call himself a four-time Olympic medalist, having already won gold in the same event back in 2022 and silver in his Olympic debut in 2010 at Vancouver. He also claimed a bronze medal in the parallel slalom at Sochi 2014.

After his latest win, in his fifth Games, he became the oldest Olympic snowboard medalist ever and Austria’s oldest winter medalist in any sport.

Out of all his medals, though, the first gold in Beijing stands out as the most special, allowing him to have fun in Milan Cortina.

“The first medal is always super, super special,” Karl said. “When I was 10, I was writing on a sheet my goals for life. I wanted to be the fastest snowboarder on Earth, a world champion and an Olympic champion, and when you reach that goal for the first time, it’s always the best moment.

“But for my legacy, this second gold medal is really important, not that I had that in my mind. I just had so much fun. It was just a fun day out, carving down the mountain, through gates. It was a perfect day.”

Karl said he let himself enjoy his gold medal win for a brief moment on Sunday, but assured CNN Sports that he was in bed by midnight and already focusing on the remaining World Cup season.

The Austrian credits his love for snowboarding to his mother, who he said got him into the world of winter sports. But while snowboarding became his life, his first love was skiing, with Karl saying he could ski before he could even talk.

But after he found snowboarding at 10, the goal of becoming an Olympian was set.

“Olympics are, for sure, the greatest event for any sportsman,” he said.

“We have one chance every four years, one day in four years, you’re not allowed to be ill or injured. You have to be ready on this day.

“That I made four medals in six chances in my Olympic life, six days out of a 20-year career, it’s just amazing.”

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