Fanny Chmelar

Fanny Chmelar (; born 31 October 1985) is a German former alpine skier who largely competed in Slalom.

Biography

Fanny Chmelar was born in Weilheim in Oberbayern, Bavaria, Germany on 31 October 1985.

Chmelar first competed in a FIS event in Austria in December 2000 at age 16, where she finished 34th in the Slalom. Two years later, she would make her European Cup debut. Earning two victories and 12 podiums over the course of her European Cup career. As well as qualifying for the Slalom at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Although she did not finish her run.

After poor performances and being removed from the national team, Chmelar retired from professional skiing in March 2013, wearing a ballerina's tutu over her ski-suit for her final run. She cited a lack of enjoyment from competitive skiing for her decision to retire. She said that she wished to become a ski instructor.

In popular culture

Chmelar gained widespread notability in the United Kingdom after she was the subject of a question on ITV game show The Chase in 2011, after which host Bradley Walsh burst into laughter, owing to the pronunciation of her name in English, which sounds similar to "fanny smeller", the former word being a slang term for the vagina. In January 2024, she appeared on Michael McIntyre's Big Show, where she played a prank on Walsh, who apologised for his original reaction.