How it unfolded
Austria's Hermann Maier lost his balance at more than 100 km/h in the Nagano Olympic downhill and was launched through two layers of safety netting in a massive crash. Broadcast live worldwide, the fall left many viewers fearing serious injury, but Maier got up without major harm. Three days later he entered the super-G and won gold, then added a second gold in the giant slalom, completing a full turnaround. Rejected as a teenager by an Austrian ski academy for being too small and working as a bricklayer, Maier had made his World Cup debut late at 23, and this meet proved he was already among the world's elite.
Why it still matters
This crash burned the physical danger alpine skiing carries into the world's memory while making Maier the sport's symbol of resilience. He nearly lost his right leg in a 2001 motorcycle accident and still returned to win the 2004 overall title, and this Nagano comeback became the template for every recovery story that followed.