Welcome to my life

 

Welcome to my life

 

I was born on the 27th of April 1991, in Lugano (Switzerland) and I have a 4 years-younger brother. His name’s Ian and he is the one I spend most of my spare time with.

We grew up in Comano, in the South of Switzerland but we spent a lot of time traveling around Europe with our parents, visiting new cities, discovering new places and spending a lot of time on the beaches.

When I am not reading a book, or baking something, you probably will find me on the snow with my skis or in the gym; in my childhood I was lucky to have my parents often around, I discovered sports because they had enough time to spend with us.

I talk… a lot. When I was a kid I was fluent in Italian and French, then I studied German and English and right now I am trying to get better in Spanish.

Oh and I forgot to tell you that even tough I am a skier and I am chasing winter 12-months-a-year for training I really love warm weather, the beaches, the sea and the summer!

The 2018 marked my personal life because I found the love of my life and I got married the 11th July, becoming since that day proudly Lara Gut-Behrami.

 

Career

I started skiing when I was 1 and a half. My aunt’s first year’s present was a pair of skis which I used to put on my feet and walk all around the garden during summer 1992.

My first FIS races were during summer 2006, that winter I won my first Junior World Championship medal in Altenmarkt Zachensee, Austria, it was a silver in Downhill. The same year I became the second youngest all time winner in Super-G at the Swiss National Championship and I finished second in the Downhill standing of the Europa Cup.

In December 2007 I made my World Cup debut in Giant Slalom, in Lienz. I did too many mistakes and couldn’t qualify myself for the second run but I got better for my first Downhill in February 2008, the weather was by my side, I fell on the last pitch and slided on my back through the finish line but ended up 3rd. It was my first podium on the World Cup circuit.

That same winter I was able to win the Overall, Downhill and Super-G standings in Europa Cup and in December 2008 I earned my first World Cup victory in Super-G in St. Moritz. I’m still the youngest super-G World Cup Winner of all times.

At my first World Championships in Val d’Isere 2009, I won the silver medal in Downhill and Super Combined. I added two more medals with a silver in Super-G at Schladming 2013 and a bronze at Beaver Creek 2015.

 

On 29 September 2009, I fell during training at Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and dislocated my hip. I was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Visp, where it was reset. The Swiss Ski Federation initially reported that I would be out of competition for at least a month. In January 2010, it was announced that I would miss the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver because of slow recovery from the hip injury. I missed out the entire 2010 season, but returned for the 2011 season and earned four podiums, which included a victory in the Super-G at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in January.

I switched ski suppliers following the 2011 season, leaving Atomic for a three-year deal with Rossignol. Though I got seven top ten finishes in three disciplines during the 2012 World Cup season, I did not reach a podium; my best results were three top-five finishes.

In December 2012, I won my first World Cup downhill in Val d’Isere, France. I finished ahead of American Leanne Smith (0.16 sec) and fellow Swiss skier Nadja Kamer (0.5 sec).

I won my first Olympic medal in the downhill in 2014 at Sochi. I got the bronze, finishing 0.10 seconds behind Tina Maze and fellow Swiss skier Dominique Gisin, who both won the gold. In World Cup, I won the Super-G season title and finished third overall.

2014/15 was a little tougher for me, but I still earned 2 World Cup wins and finished 5th in the Super-G ranking and 6th in the downhill. I also grabed my 4th World Championship medal (3rd in downhill) in Vail/Beaver Creek.

The consecration came in the 2015/16 season. For the first time, I won the Overall World Cup! An impressive number of 32 World Cup starts (only 4 DNFs), 6 wins and 7 podiums in 4 disciplines, allowed me to achieve this great result.

At the World Championships in 2017 on home country snow in St. Moritz, I won bronze in the Super-G.
In the next event, the Alpine Combined, I injured my left knee (ACL, meniscus) between runs, which ended my season.

After 7 months of rehab I finally came back on skis and that feeling was one of the most incredible in my entire life. I felt happy and relieved.

In September I put my skis on for the first time after my ACL/meniscus injury and I started my 2017/2018 season in Soelden.

I struggled in Giant Slalom but as soon as I put my Super-G skis on I felt the right feeling and I was able to fight for the Super-G globe till the end of the season with one victory and 2 podiums.

I finished 4th in Super-G at the XXIII Olympic Games in Pyeongchang and missed the bronze medal by 0,01.

I’m still thinking it was a great season because in March 2017 I wasn’t even able to walk and the following season I was already back on the first step of a podium. Now I know better my strengths, my weaknesses and how to work better to improve.

 

Major Results

2024

3rd Are Giant Slalom
2nd Kvitfjell Super G
1st Kvitfjell Super G
3rd Crans Montana Downhill
1st Crans Montana Downhill
1st Soldeu Giant Slalom
1st Kronplatz Giant Slalom
1st Cortina d’Ampezzo Super G
2nd Cortina d’Ampezzo Downhill
1st Zauchensee Super G
3rd Zauchensee Super G
2nd Kranjska Gora Giant Slalom
3rd St Moritz Super G
2nd Tremblant Giant Slalom
1st Killington Giant Slalom
1st Soelden Giant Slalom

2023

Super G World Cup title
2nd overall World Cup
2nd overall Giant Slalom

1st Soldeu Super G
3rd Soldeu Downhill
3rd Kvitfjell Super G
2nd Kronplatz Giant Slalom
1st Sankt Anton Super G
3rd Sankt Anton Super G
3rd Kranjska Gora Giant Slalom
2nd Semmering Giant Slalom
1st Killington Giant Slalom

2022

Gold medal Super G Olympic Games Beijing
Bronze medal Giant Slalom Olympic Games Beijing

3rd Lenzerheide Super G
1st Zauchensee Downhill
1st St Moritz Super G
2nd Lake Louise Super G
2nd Soelden Giant Slalom

2021

Gold medal Giant Slalom Cortina d’Ampezzo
Gold medal Super G Cortina d’Ampezzo
Bronze medal Downhill Cortina d’Ampezzo

Super G World Cup title
2nd overall World Cup

2x 1st Val di Fassa Downhill
2nd Val di Fassa Super G
2x 1st Garmisch-Partenkirchen Super G
2nd Kronplatz Giant Slalom
1st Crans Montana Super G
2nd Crans Montana Downhill
1st Sankt Anton Super G
3rd Lech Parallel Giant Slalom

2020

2 x 1st Crans Montana Downhill
3rd Bansko Super G

2019

2nd St Moritz Super G
3rd Garmisch-Partenkirchen Super G

2018

2nd overall Super G
4th Super G Olympic Games Pyeongchang

2017

Bronze medal Super G St. Moritz

2016

Overall World Cup title
Super G World Cup title

2015

Bronze medal Downhill Beaver Creek

2014

Super G World Cup title
Bronze medal Downhill Olympic Games Sochi
3rd overall World Cup

2013

Silver medal Super G Schladming

2009

Silver medal Downhill Val d’Isere
Silver medal Super Combined Val d’Isère

 

45 World Cup wins

(22 SG, 13 DH, 9 GS, 1 AC)

 

Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy