Sporting Heroines

Richard Mille’s support for sportswomen runs the gamut from Olympic champions to up-and-coming talents.

- Charlie Lim

WHILE PARTNERSHIPS ARE PAR for the course in the world of luxury watches, Richard Mille stands out for both its breadth and depth. From sponsoring iconic events such as Le Mans Classic race in France to working with the Palais de Tokyo center for contemporary art in Paris, the brand’s partnerships span sports, entertainment, and the arts. Corporate partners including McLaren Automotive and Airbus Corporate Jets further reinforce this, as do individuals, each at the pinnacle of their respective fields. A quick glance through the latter group reveals a common thread running through them: each individual isn’t just a leader in their chosen field but also carries a brand of audacity Richard Mille clearly identifies with as a maverick in this business.

THE SNOW QUEEN

Czech athlete Ester Ledecká is an Olympic gold medallist in two distinctly separate disciplines: alpine skiing and snowboarding. In the world of winter sports, athletes competing at the highest levels are expected to specialize to maximize their medal chances. Ledecká, however, came out left of field to prove that what was previously an unquestioned notion doesn’t quite hold true. She accomplished this feat at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where she won gold medals in the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding and the super-G in alpine skiing. Before Ledecká, only Russian athlete Anfisa Reztsova had won gold medals in different events, and even then, only in separate editions of the Winter Olympics.