It looks like no cold is too cold for Benjamin Karl. As he ripped his shirt in the snowy terrain after defending his men’s parallel giant slalom crown at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Karl created history, coming back from behind to beat South Korea’s Kim Sang-kyum. He overtook Norwegian biathlete legend Ole Einar Bjørndalen to become the oldest gold medalist in the Winter Olympics for an individual event. 

Coming to the games with high expectations, this edition of the Winter Olympics was touted to be his last. However, while he won the gold in Beijing four years back, this year his chances were not that high. And he started on a pretty somber note. For most of the time, Karl was trailing behind Sang-kyum. But in the final moments, the 40-year-old champion crossed the line 0.19 seconds faster than his South Korean opponent. Karl now has an Olympic silver (Vancouver 2010), a bronze (Sochi 2014), and two golds. So, what is the story behind the snowboarder? Let’s find out.

What is Benjamin Karl’s age and height?

He was born on October 16, 1985, and is now 40 years old. Winning his second consecutive gold medal in the parallel giant slalom on Sunday, the elite snowboarder stands 6-foot-1 tall. He weighs 200 lbs.

Where is Benjamin Karl from? What is his nationality?

The 40-year-old Olympian was born in Lower Austria (St. Polten), near the Otscher mountains. At just 10 years of age, Karl started his snowboarding lessons. Unfortunately, he met with a serious accident in 1995, which resulted in his fracturing three of his thoracic vertebrae. However, following a month of bed rest, Karl resumed his training and won the regional cup in the same year.

He had a lot of success early on as he won the European Cup and the Junior World Championships in giant slalom. Karl also won the Austrian national title while competing in both the parallel and the parallel giant slalom. Karl has Austrian nationality.

Who is Benjamin Karl’s wife?

Back in August 2011, Karl tied the knot with his wife, Nina Grissmann. Interestingly, Nina is the daughter of the former Austrian alpine skiing icon Werner Grissmann. 

Both Benjamin and Nina share two daughters between them and are now based in Lienz, East Tyrol. 

Who are Benjamin Karl’s parents and family?

Although much about his family background and parents is not disclosed in the public forum, Karl’s parents have always been very supportive of his career on the ice. 

Seeing his commitment towards the sport after the 1995 injury, his parents decided to send him to the Skihandelsschule snowboarding haven in Austria. There, the Austrian snowboarder received academic teaching and physical training. Soon, he perfected the parallel slalom (PSL) and the parallel giant slalom (PGS).

What is Benjamin Karl’s net worth?

Karl has plans to bid farewell to the sport at the end of the 2025-2026 season. But before leaving the competitive sphere, he decided to leave his indelible mark on the history of snowboarding. Back in 2004, he began his career as a professional. After setting foot in the professional realm, Benjamin Karl went on to write one of the most historic careers in alpine snowboarding. 

With over 215 World Cup starts under his name, Karl bagged 58 podium finishes and 27 wins. He also has three World Cup titles to his name. Moreover, he won two Olympic medals in the sport, one in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the second at the 2026 Milano Cortina.

Although the exact amount of his net worth is not publicly disclosed, the athlete has multiple sources of income. The Austrian star gets a stable salary from the Austrian Armed Forces. For more than 20 years, he has been in the sport and has won significant prize money from his many victories.

He boasts a major endorsement from Red Bull. Alongside other wins, he has had an illustrious career as an Olympian.

What is Benjamin Karl’s ethnicity?

As an Austrian national and native, his ethnicity is Austrian. There’s no public information available about the religion of the European Olympic champ.