10 reasons Hubertus Von Hohenlohe wins Sochi 2014
One-man Mexican olympic delegation. #TeamHubertus Forever. By Marcela Vargas and Regina Sienra
1. Prince Hubertus (more on that later) became famous last January when he revealed the stylish suit he will wear during the competitions.
‘Hubie’ is so amazing, NBC dubbed him “The Most Interesting Olympian in the World”.
2. He’s the one-man Mexican delegation at Sochi.
Also, he singlehandedly founded the Mexican Ski Federation.
3. He has represented Mexico in five previous Winter Olympics: Sarajevo (1984), Calgary (1988), Albertville (1992), Lillehammer (1994), Vancouver (2010). Sochi is his sixth appearance as an Olympian.
Even when the Mexican Olympic Committee refused to send him to Torino 2006, he didn’t give up and qualified for Vancouver 2010.
4. He descends from German royalty –his grandfather was the last Holy Roman emperor– and is the son of Prince Alfonso Hohenlohe and Princess Ira Fürstenberg.
5. Despite his European ancestry he was born in Mexico because his parents wanted a Mexican in the family to continue their line of business in this country (also, his grandma is half-mexican).
He’s a millionaire. With a nobility title.
6. Talk about multicultural! von Hohenlohe had more than a single option as to under which flag compete.
Even though ‘Hubie’ was born in Mexico, holds a Liechtenstein passport, Austrian citizenship, his mother is Italian-born, and he has established residence in Spain.
7. He sings! Apart from being the sole representative of Mexico in the Winter Olympics, von Hohenlohe is a recording artist and has released eight albums in both English and German languages.
View this video on YouTube
8. He is a Renaissance man. Apart from the skiing and singing, von Hohenlohe is an accomplished photographer and has a number of exhibits in his name.
9. He was the oldest athlete to compete in the Vancouver Winter Olympics (2010) and is the second oldest to compete ever.
“I never wanted to set records for being old, but here I am. It’s cool” he said to The Telegraph.
He’s 55 years old and this will be his last participation at the olympics –or so he claims.
10. He knows he probably won’t win any medals, but says what matters is “to ignite young people's dreams that want to do the same, to represent Mexico in winter or summer”.
We hope he changes his mind.
How can one not support that kind of passion?