Lara Gut-Behrami is once again Sportswoman of the Year. The Swiss skier wins the award for the third time and also talks about difficult moments in her acceptance speech.
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- Lara Gut-Behrami is named Swiss Sportswoman of the Year 2024 in Zurich.
- The skier won eight World Cup races and the overall World Cup last season.
- The Ticino native is delighted to receive the award and thanks her family, who made her success possible in the first place.
Lara Gut-Behrami is Swiss Sportswoman of the Year for the second time in a row. However, as the skier has a mammoth program of three speed weekends ahead of her in January, the Ticino native will not be attending the event in Zurich and will instead be staying at her home in Udine in north-eastern Italy.
Gut-Behrami will then be connected via video link. She will give her acceptance speech in Italian because the people she is thanking speak Italian, the skier explains: "I would like to thank my family because they have always been there for me. When things are going well, it's always easy. But to win, you also have to overcome many days that aren't so good. There are complicated moments in your career. It's not possible without a family."
In the episode, Gut-Behrami thanks her mother Gabriella, father Pauli, brother Ian and husband Valon Behrami. The 33-year-old thanks her parents in particular: "I was very lucky as a child that my parents took the time to get me and my brother into skiing. They also gave us the ambition to get better and better and to go beyond the limits."
Husband Valon helped her out of the crisis
Even before it is clear that Gut-Behrami will be awarded Sportswoman of the Year, she provides deep insights into her inner life. At the season finale in Saalbach, she received three crystal globes. But she was not happy about it. "I felt bad and asked myself the question of meaning," admits the 33-year-old. "I was angry, sad and empty, I just wanted to get away from that place."
The negative feeling is also present in the preparations for the new season. When the race was due to start in Sölden in October, Gut-Behrami decided not to compete at the last minute. She tearfully announces her withdrawal because she is also suffering from a knee injury.
"I'm at the end of my career and I have to make sure I'm okay at the start," she said at the Sports Awards on Sunday evening. She was also able to overcome her crisis thanks to her husband Valon Behrami. "My husband helped me to deal with it," said the Ticino native during the live broadcast. The former national team player was able to make it clear to her that there are difficult days in a career. "That took the weight off my shoulders."
Podium at the first World Cup downhill race
The "desire for sport", as Gut-Behrami says, is back. Just like at her first World Cup race shortly after Christmas 2007, when she failed to qualify for the second run of the giant slalom in Lienz. Less than two months later, she sensationally finished third on the podium in her first World Cup downhill at her home race in St. Moritz. Her "snowing" just before the finish line, her face covered in snow after the fall and her childlike joy are the most memorable moments.
The beaming laughter of yesteryear has given way to a satisfied smile. The 16-year-old child prodigy from back then has become one of the most successful female ski racers in history. She can call herself an Olympic gold medalist in the super-G, two-time world champion (super-G and giant slalom) and two-time overall World Cup winner. With 45 World Cup victories to her name, she is the second most successful Swiss skier in history.
Gut-Behrami's last season is particularly outstanding, in which she won eight World Cup races - more than ever before in her long career. She is the best giant slalom skier of the winter and also number 1 in the super-G. The reward for her consistent results in all three disciplines in which she competes is the big crystal globe for winning the overall World Cup.
At 33, Lara Gut-Behrami is better than ever before. Because she knows what is good for her and what she needs to be successful. She is not afraid to make her opinion known and assert it. This is how she stays at the top. She is Swiss Sportswoman of the Year for the second time in a row and for the third time overall.
