Lara Gut: Swiss Alpine Ski Racer Olympic Bronze Medalist Reveals Her Success Story

Lara Gut is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer who competed in all five disciplines and specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. In December 2006, at age 15, Gut participated in her first FIS races. At the Alpine Youth World Championship 2007 at Altenmarkt, Austria, she won silver in downhill. In the same year, she became Swiss national champion in super-G, the second youngest champion of all time. In the 2007 season, Gut finished 2nd in the downhill standings of the Europa Cup.

On 28 December 2007, Gut made her World Cup debut in a giant slalom at Lienz, Austria. In January 2008, at Caspoggio, she won four consecutive Europa Cup races. At her first World Cup downhill race on 2 February 2008, Gut made the podium at third place at St. Moritz, despite falling on the finishing pitch and sliding on her back through the finish line; she finished only 0.35 seconds behind the winner. She followed her World Cup speed debut with a fifth place finish in the super-G the next day. Following the 2008 season, Gut was moved up to the World Cup team for the 2009 season.

Early in her first full season, Gut won her first World Cup race on 20 December 2008, a super-G in St. Moritz, finishing 0.63 seconds ahead of runner-up Fabienne Suter. Gut became the youngest skier to win a World Cup super-G race, at 17.65 years (17 years, 237 days). At the 2009 World Championships at Val-d’Isère, France, Gut won silver medals in the downhill and the super combined, more than two months before her 18th birthday. She sat 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.

Gut switched ski suppliers following the 2011 season, leaving Atomic for a three-year deal with Rossignol. Though she had seven top ten finishes in three disciplines during the 2012 World Cup season, she did not reach a podium; her best results were three top-five finishes. On 14 December 2012, Gut won her first World Cup downhill in Val-d’Isère, France. She finished ahead of American Leanne Smith (0.16 sec) and fellow Swiss skier Nadja Kamer (0.5 sec). On 12 February 2014, Gut won her first Olympic medal in the downhill race in Sochi. She got a bronze by finishing behind (0.10 sec).

Achievements of Lara Gut

Women’s alpine skiing : Representing Switzerland

Olympic Games

• Bronze 2014 Sochi Downhill

World Championships

• Silver 2013 Schladming Super-G
• Silver 2009 Val-d’Isère Downhill
• Silver 2009 Val-d’Isère Super combined

Junior World Ski Championships

• Silver 2008 Formigal Downhill
• Silver 2007 Altenmarkt Downhill

Lara Gut is Swiss alpine ski racer Olympic bronze medalist and triple silver medalist in World Championships. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar: You started skiing at a very young age and first raced at the age of fifteen years. You reached the pinnacle of success in 2009 by winning two silvers in Women’s alpine skiing in World Championships and later won Bronze at 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?

Ms. Lara Gut: I hope I didn’t reach the top of my career yet; I started racing on the World Cup Circuit at a very young age, this is right but after only one successful season I had a bad hip injury in September 2010 which abruptly stopped everything. I didn’t compete the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games because I was recovering of it and it took me another year to be back on the level I was before that.

But there’s one thing that always made me move forward and it is that I love what I’m doing, skiing is my passion and my motivation is to reach my limits and be better everyday. I’m lucky that I have a great family and nice people around me who are supporting me and helping me believing my dream.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: You are the most successful female ski racer in Swiss history. You at the Alpine Youth World Championship 2007 at Altenmarkt, Austria, won silver in downhill. In the same year, you became Swiss national champion in super-G, the second youngest champion of all time. What facilities exist for alpine skiing in Switzerland that acted as a catalyst in your achievements?

Ms. Lara Gut: Thanks, this is an amazing compliment but it’s not true. We have had great ski champions in the past as Vreni Schneider (she won 5 Golds at the Olympic Games) or Pirmin Zurbriggen, I’m still far away from what they achieved but I’m trying to give my best to follow the steps.

Switzerland is a small country with a lot of mountains, the Alps and skiing has always been a traditional sport in our country, I grow up in Lugano where there’s no places to ski but my grandparents live in Airolo which is a nice ski resort and we went there every weekend when I was a child. I think what helped me most was my family, if I am where I am now and I’m living my dream is just because they taught me lots of good things, to enjoy life and be thankful for everything I can experience.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar: You on 29 September 2009 fell during training at Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and dislocated your hip. You were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Visp, where it was reset. But you returned for the 2011 season and earned four podiums, which included a victory in the super-G at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in January. How you were able to overcome such a physical injury/setback and what advice you can give to fellow sports person in a similar situation?

Ms. Lara Gut:  Getting injured is never fun. From one day to the other I couldn’t move anymore, I needed help for everything and you often ask yourself things that only make you feel disappointed and don’t help you. But you have to take it as a chance, you will learn to know your body better and this will help you later when you can train again.

Work hard to be back but give your body enough time, it’s a beautiful machine but we can’t fix it as if it is a car. This is my advice; take care of it, listen to your body, love it and you will be back. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, and it’s not about patience, it’s about believing in yourself but not forgetting to respect your body.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Ms. Lara Gut: Yes, I do. I started only two years ago with the zone diet and I really feel the difference. It’s not about controlling the amount of everything I eat or to measure it, count calories. It’s about taking care of myself and my body; if I eat vegetables, proteins and good carbohydrate my body becomes healthy energy, I will feel fitter and my performances will improve. I eat chocolate, but very rarely a cake or ice-cream.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?

Ms. Lara Gut: I’m just 23 so I’m still working on my beauty routine… I love to try things so for example if I don’t have an hair mask I take some olive-oil, mix it with honey, maybe yogurt and my hair will feel better and healthy.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding professional alpine skiing girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of alpine skiing ?

Ms. Lara Gut: We need passion in everything we do so, if you want to be successful in your sport, or you want to achieve your goals you have to be focussed, determined but also really passionated. And there’s something my dad always told me “life is not easy, but if you smile it will feel a little bit easier and for sure it will be more fun”. I never forget this sentence when I’m in trouble.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar: How did you feel before and after you won bronze at 2014 Sochi Olympic Games ?

Ms. Lara Gut: I missed the 2010 Olympics because of my injury so I was really curious this February to finally see what the Games look like. We were lost in the middle of the mountains and we were quite isolate so it wasn’t really what I had expected but it obviously was something different than every other sport event I had ever seen before. We didn’t wear sponsors, there was a lot of others athletes from different sports in the village.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Who has been your greatest influence and motivator in your success in the field of your career in competitive alpine skiing ?

Ms. Lara Gut: My dad, he has always been my coach and he’s always by my side. I would not be where I am now without his support.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?

Ms. Lara Gut: Stay fit, enjoy life and take care of your body. Thank you Womenfitness.net for helping women reach their goals and feel beautiful. See ya, Lara.

To know the latest about Lara Gut, Check out at: http://www.laragut.ch

Women Fitness Team thanks Lara Gut for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and also wish to thank Cornel Zueger from Infront Ringier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland AG who made this interview happen.

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