Lara Gut-Behrami finishes fifth in her last World Championship race. Despite missing out on a medal in the giant slalom, the skier from Ticino speaks of satisfaction and relief.
13.02.2025, 17:17
13.02.2025, 17:22
SDA
Lara Gut-Behrami, you completed your last World Championship race today. What emotions were involved?
"I enjoyed it today. It was wonderful that my father was able to stick the first run. It almost felt like when I was a kid. It was an incredible journey. In the end, emotions like that stick with you more than just when you win. I'm grateful that I was able to experience it all."
In the end, you were six hundredths short of your tenth World Championship medal. It would have been the perfect end to your World Championship story.
"The question is, what is a perfect story? Why should it be a perfect story if you win? You can win and still not be satisfied or not be healthy. I tried to do my best, but I made a mistake in the second run and lost a lot of time. It would certainly have been possible to go six hundredths faster. Of course I would have liked to have won a medal today. But I'm far from being disappointed. At the moment, I'm just happy that this story is over."
How should we understand that?
"Over the last two weeks, I've realized how difficult it is for us female athletes. We go to the start and we know: Only the first three win a medal. We give our best, all our lives. As an athlete, you dedicate your whole life to sport. There is a fine line between success and disappointment. If you don't win a medal, people always talk about disappointment. A lot of things are judged negatively. At this World Championships, I asked myself whether this is really necessary."
What conclusion did you come to?
"Over the years, I've learned that skiing is about more than just winning. I would never describe another athlete's career as disappointing if she has never won a medal but has always competed with the world's best. The word disappointing is so out of place."
What has it taken over the years to realize that it's not just medals and successes that make up a career?
"You grow up and experience a lot. Sometimes you think: it didn't go so well. And yet not everything is always as black and white as you think at the beginning."
You took part in your first World Championships in 2009, the one in Saalbach was your ninth World Championships. Do you get melancholy when you look back on it all?
"At the moment, I'm just relieved that it's over. Only now do I realize how much pressure was on me. Medals were always expected. But many people forget: Nothing can be taken for granted. It's a shame how many athletes give up at some point because it's thrown in their face: You've disappointed again. I'm happy that I can now continue in the World Cup, where you can only win. The pressure is off. I don't want to hear about any more disappointments."
Were the major events grueling in terms of expectations and pressure?
"I simply became more and more aware of what is important in life. Health, for example. In the end, other things will stick in my mind than just the medals. If you look at pictures in sport, you don't just see emotions in those who win."
