Featured Image: Victoria Olivier pushing out of the start gate of the World Cup Finals downhill. Credit: GEPA
In the 35th episode of the Skiing is Believing podcast, Matt and Alan had the chance to speak to the newest World Junior Champion, Austrian Victoria Olivier.
Despite only being 20 years old, Victoria’s confidence seems to be brimming, with huge ambitions for the next season and beyond. She is certainly a racer the ski racing world should be keeping their eye on with great foundations for a future women’s overall FIS World Cup champion.
Having grown up in a ski-racing-heavy area of Austria, Victoria was one of many young racers she knew in the region. In the interview, she talks about her mentality and how that set her apart from others. Then, she attended the Skigymnasium in Stams, Tyrol, where there was a distinct focus on athletic success, even at 14 and 15 years old.
This challenging atmosphere motivated her to pursue her aspirations and compete well under pressure. In the 2022 iteration of World Junior Championships held in Panorama, British Columbia, Victoria achieved an impressive bronze medal in the Super-G.
Going into the 2024 World Junior Championships, Victoria was searching for Giant Slalom success, as it is her number one discipline. However, it turned out to be downhill, where she had an extraordinary run winning the race.
With the win, she was granted the opportunity to start the FIS World Cup downhill finals in Saalbach, Salzburg, where she was unable to finish on her World Cup debut, but she says the experience was vital and unbelievable to take into next season, where she hopes to build her Europa Cup experience before the World Junior Champs in Tarvisio this March.
Having missed the entire 2022/23 season due to an injury, Victoria feels that this experience deepened her understanding of the challenges of competing at a high level. Now, she is eager to make a strong comeback and regain her momentum.
If you enjoyed reading this article, we hope you can tune in via the links below. You can visit the Skiing is Believing podcast’s Instagram or YouTube channel, where they have a catalog of interviews recorded over the last eight months, with plenty more coming before the start of another great season. Or contact the Skiing is Believing podcast via mattgarcka.skiingisbelievingpodcast@gmail.com with feedback, advice, or improvements.
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