Meet Mexico's Entire Downhill Team: 1 German Prince NTDTV
go to original February 12, 2014

At the age of 55, Mexican skier Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe is limbering up for his sixth Winter Olympics - and he won't be difficult to spot. (NTDTV)

At the age of 55, Mexican skier Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe is limbering up for his sixth Winter Olympics - and he won't be difficult to spot.

In the 30 years since he first competed at Sarajevo in 1984, von Hohenlohe has made a few concessions to age - to avoid worrying his mother, he has dropped downhill racing in favour of the more technical and less dangerous slalom.

But his outfits get steadily more outrageous. In Vancouver four years ago, he appeared as a pistolero; this time he will sport a black ski-suit mimicking the patterns of a mariachi folklore costume: white embroidery and a red belt and necktie.

"This started because I loved ski racing, the big events like Kitzbhul and Wengen and Garmish," he said.

"That was when I was small, my dream. And then Olympics came along and it was kind of interesting to meet people from all the different sorts of genre of sports and to mix up with that. But it was never planned and it just happened and I went to the next ones and the next ones and now it is kind of a running gag, how long can I keep going."

The son of German aristocrats and technically a prince, von Hohenlohe was born in Mexico, where his father was building up the Volkswagen car business. He grew up speaking Spanish and German, and discovered skiing after moving to Austria as a child.

With dual Mexican and Liechtenstein nationality, he lives in Europe but is proud to represent the country of his birth.

At Friday (February 7) night's opening ceremony of the Sochi Games in Russia, he once again carried Mexico's flag - not surprisingly, as he is its only representative.

Von Hohenlohe said it can be "just a little lonely" in a team of one, and has not always received support from the Mexican Olympic set up.

He missed out on the 2000 and 2004 games because Mexico decided not to send him, but was back in favour for Vancouver four years ago.

"It was kind of strange because in the beginning they kind of didn't really care and they didn't really notice me," he said. "Then they saw that I got a lot of attention and thought my name wasn't Mexican enough and I wasn't an original Mexican in that way. So I think there we had kind of a disturbed relationship. Then again they saw that only I qualified, so if they didn't send me they would have nobody. So then they changed again their opinion and now 30 years later with a cool suit they love me and they embrace me and they actually want me to help them to do something with the winter sports in Mexico."

Von Hohenlohe insists that he's "no Olympic tourist" and will be competing hard through the twists and turns of the slalom course, not just snowploughing down the course.

He satisfied the qualifying criteria, and over the years has achieved some respectable results, his best being 26th in 1984. He says a top 50 place would be a good result this time.

"Top 50 would be great, I mean top 50, 45, I think I was 44th in Vancouver," he said. "I cannot do much better than that. I skied more this year but the competition is more fierce because the qualification standards got more difficult again. So I don't think I can do any better than that."

So what about that mariachi costume?

Now they are very proud, especially because of my suit, which is cool," he said. "And which the Mariachis are wearing when they sing."

Despite being one of the oldest Winter Olympians and a member of a select group to compete at six different Games, von Hohenlohe says he is not looking to go on and on in search of a place in the record books. So Sochi could be his swansong.

"I would be like the oldest," he said. "I didn't want to be famous for being the oldest in something. I actually don't think I am going to aim for the next one otherwise my claim to fame will be to be the oldest winter Olympian ever and that is kind of embarrassing."

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