Ornella Oettl Reyes, a Peruvian with three Winter Olympic Games

Ornella Oettl Reyes lives between two cultures. Her father is German and her mother is Peruvian. Her parents met in Munich when they were students and they stayed to live in Bavaria. Her three children were born there. One of them, Ornella, will be the only representative from Peru at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. At 30 years old, she will live her third Olympic experience after Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.

On the first occasion, she was accompanied by her younger brother Manfredtoday retired and dedicated to his family.

After a 57th place in Sochi 2014 as the best Olympic result, in Beijing, the alpine skier, who will participate in the slalom and the giant in Beijing.

In Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, in the first two participations of Peru in the Winter Games, she was accompanied by her brother Manfred and by the cross-country ski specialist Roberto Carcelen.

This time she will be alone and therefore she will be the flag bearer.

“It will be an incredible moment to be able to go out with the Peruvian flag. Next to me will be my dad, who always prepares my skis. my mom couldn’t come“, Explain Ornella Oettl in perfect Spanish.

“My parents met in Munich due to studies. My dad spoke Spanish because he traveled before starting his studies in Latin America for three years and learned the language. When he came back to Germany he met my mom. He helped my mom with the German language and that’s how they met.”, adds the skier.

Installed in Austria

Ornella lives and studies in Innsbruck, Austria, a paradise for skiers, since the ski slopes are very close to the city.

“Innsbruck is exactly in the center of all mountains, in the Alps. It is perfect. It is ideal to be able to combine my studies and my three jobs”, affirms the only Peruvian competitor in these Games.

“I am finishing my thesis in economics, statistics and at the same time I have three jobs. One at home as an online math teacher for economics students, another at a bank, where I do credit risk analysis, and finally as a caterer, so I can go outside on my bike and not stay at home all the time.”, says the Peruvian.

His dedication to skiing also led him to Austria at a very young age. The adaptation was not very difficult, since in Austria the official language is also German.

“At the age of 17 I arrived in Innsbruck, although at 14 I was already in Salzburg, another Austrian city, due to my sports career. My parents always supported me and I received scholarships. If you make an effort, you can play sports and continue your studies. At first I didn’t have so many jobs. Now, with my thesis, I have more free time and I’m always looking for something to keep me busy.“, it states.

“I started economics and the statistics master. I also moved to Austria because in that country skiing is the national sport and there is a lot of support”, he indicates.

Difficulties due to the pandemic

In Salzburg, 144 km from Munich, and in Innsbruck, 166 km, he was not far from his family in Germany either. In full preparation for Beijing 2022, the pandemic put his Olympic experience in check.

“These are very special Games due to the pandemic. It was not easy to qualify as there were few opportunities, as many competitions were canceled“, Explain.

Ornella Oettl, who spent six months in Peru during his university studies, wants to return to the country and get involved in projects related to winter sports.

“I learned about the snowboard project that has started in Huacachina, which motivated me a lot to continue in the sport, to share experiences with young Peruvians who can defend Peru in the future.”, explains the skier.

At the moment he has a date with history at the Beijing Games, in his third experience at the event. Her Peruvian mother will proudly follow her from a distance, from her house near Munich.