Lara Colturi received Albania’s Best Athlete of the Year Award during Ski Excellence Night in Tirana, where athletes, officials, broadcasters and fans gathered to celebrate the country’s growing alpine ski community.
After two consecutive breakthrough World Cup seasons with podiums, Lara Colturi is beginning a new chapter with HEAD. The 19-year-old Albanian star discusses her equipment change, battling illness, her first Olympics, and why she plans to bring super-G back into her World Cup schedule
Elvis Toci inherited an Albanian Ski Federation with no elite athletes, limited funding and no ski resort. Today, thanks in part to Lara Colturi's rise, Albania has become one of alpine skiing's most unexpected success stories.
Mikaela Shiffrin erased a first-run deficit with the fastest second run of the night to win the Semmering women’s World Cup slalom by 0.09 seconds, surviving a race transformed by improved conditions and 12 lead changes.
Mikaela Shiffrin opened the Olympic slalom season with a commanding first run in Levi as high-bib racers surged into the top 30. Full results, surprises, and who qualified for run two are inside.
Lara Colturi: GEPA pictures One Month to Season Opening: Major News for Young Star Lara
Sweden’s Sara Hector claimed a commanding victory at the Kranjska Gora Giant Slalom, securing her second win of the season and taking the lead in the GS standings. Albania’s rising star Lara Colturi earned her first career GS podium in second, while New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, known for her power and aggression, finished third. AJ Hurt delivered her best result of the season in 10th, with teammate Nina O’Brien close behind in 11th. Austria’s Julia Scheib impressed with the fastest second run, climbing to fourth, while Argentina’s Francesca Baruzzi Farriol made history by scoring her first World Cup points in 30th.
A Rising Star: Lara Colturi Reflects on Her First World Cup Podium Lara Colturi, a
"This season started differently than usual," Lara says, her voice filled with excitement. "We chose New Zealand for our training, which was a new place for me. Although the snow is scarce, the training is going well. Adapting to less favorable conditions is part of the process, and I’m trying to make the most of the available slopes."
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