Flurina Janutin The SRF reporter who elicits the best answers from the ski stars
Despite top performances, women are underrepresented in sport and sports journalism. So cheers to a woman who ventures into a world that once belonged only to men: SRF reporter Flurina Janutin.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Sports journalism is still a men's club.
- All the more remarkable are the people who courageously break through these barriers and venture into a world that for a long time seemed exclusively reserved for men.
- Since this winter, I have a new number one among Swiss sports journalists: Flurina Janutin - the SRF reporter has everything it takes to be successful in this medium.
I've been a ski fan since I was a child - and in all those years sitting in front of the TV box, I've seen many a presenter and many an expert. And often enough I've gotten know-it-all excited.
As a child I was a fan of Karl Erb, later I was thrilled by the duo Matthias Hüppi and Bernhard Russi. Since this winter, I have a new number one: SRF reporter Flurina Janutin.
The former ski racer has everything it takes to be successful in this medium: qualifications, a good sense of language, a lot of wit and great enthusiasm for the subject matter.
For Flurina Janutin, ski racing is not a stage on which she puts herself in order to present herself. The 27-year-old from Graubünden is interested in what happens on the slopes - and how ski racers feel, regardless of whether they win or lose.
Asking the right questions? Check. Making the TV audience happy? Check. Have fun yourself? Check.
Steffi Buchli: "We have come to stay"
February 4, 1989 marked a turning point in Swiss television SRF's sports broadcasts: Fiammetta Devecchi became the first woman to present "Sportpanorama".
Anyone entering the male-dominated world of TV sport as a woman today - no less than 37 years after Devecchi's arrival - is still often met with an icy wind.
There is also often an impertinent undertone, as if women were pitiable exotic women who are only allowed to play a bit part once.
I ignore that. And you can bet Flurina Janutin does too.
"Women in sports journalism. We've come to stay," wrote Steffi Buchli, then editor-in-chief of sports at "Blick", in a commentary in 2021.
Shortly before, SRF commentator Michèle Schönbächler had announced that she would no longer commentate on ski races.
Buchli continues: "Schönbächler's withdrawal - whether it was voluntary or not - rather shows that it still takes a pretty tough shell to survive this combination of spotlight and headwind."
Janutin: "I'm sorry I put it like that"
Ski fans will remember: Flurina Janutin has also had to take a beating. After Wendy Holdener was eliminated from the slalom in Courchevel in January 2025, the SRF reporter asked the ski racer whether the French ski resort was perhaps not well-disposed towards her.
Holdener's answer: "I think it's really bad. I've had such good results here, and just because you're eliminated once doesn't mean it's bad."
Janutin showed greatness and apologized to Holdener: "I'm sorry that I put it like that." However, "Blick" only knew how to make a headline out of it: "Wendy Holdener is annoyed by SRF reporter Janutin."
I stand by my opinion: Flurina Janutin is doing a great job.
In my professional career as a journalist, I've done quite well with a mixture of carefreeness and naivety. I have a similar view of the SRF reporter: she doesn't allow herself to be driven by judgment or excitement.
She remains calm, clear and on her own course.
The SRF reporter asks the right questions
Immediately after a World Cup race, ski racers are often tense, exhausted or emotional - especially after a defeat.
This winter, Flurina Janutin has proven that she asks the right questions when the going gets tough - and doesn't shy away from answering them.
Conclusion: very strong.
