Lara Gut was born in Comano, Switzerland on April 27, 1991 and at a mere 17 years of age has managed to ski herself into contention on the professional Alpine ski circuit. The bubbly teenager is regarded as one of the major promises of women's skiing, capable already of claiming her place in the Swiss national team and challenging the big names right to dominate the podium. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed Lara may regard skiing as fun but her determination and concentration display a desire to succeed which is difficult to find in her rivals of the same age.
 
At the age of 15, she made her debut in a FIS race in August 2006, at Las Lenas in Argentina, where she finished second. In the same 2007 season, Lara competed in the European Cup and improved continuously to claim back-to-back second places at Santa Caterina in the downhill. However, the highlight of her season was at the Junior World Championships in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee/Flachau, where the talented all-rounder competed in all four disciplines and although she failed to finish in the slalom and super-G, her second place in the downhill displayed her fearless approach to the speed event and underlined her potential.

That potential was to explode on the world scene the following season. Her first two attempts at World Cup races did not end satisfactorily for the radiant star-in-the-making, failing to qualify for both the giant slalom in Lienz in Decemeber 2007 and Spinleruv Mlyn at the start of 2008, but undoubtedly the opportunity to breath the atmosphere of the big events and rub shoulders with the world's best encouraged Gut to focus on her technique and increase her effort in training. In mid-January, Lara took a huge step forward when she claimed her first victory in the European Cup in Caspoggio, in the downhill. The following day she repeated the feat on the same Italian slope, but did not rest content until she won the remaining two super-G races to complete an amazing run of four straight victories in four days.

After another disappointing weekend in the World Cup at Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Swiss skier returned home to St.Moritz for a European Cup meet and eventually made her breakthrough in the World Cup with a third place in the downhill in February, followed up the next day by fifth place in the super-G. Her downhill podium placing was made even more spectacular by the nature of her finish: she lost her balance coming off the final jump to cross the finish line spinning prostrate on the snow. A snow-covered Lara picked herself up delighted with her time even though she had lost crucial tenths of seconds with her acrobatic finish.

For the remainder of the season, after another runners-up place in the Junior World Championships downhill at the Spanish venue Formigal, Gut focussed on the European Cup, where a further three victories and a total of 14 podium finishes guaranteed her the overall title.

The 2008/09 season saw her concentrate on the World Cup tour to take on the best and she provided proof that she is on her way to becoming the star of the future. She claimed her first victory in her much loved St Moritz in December, she picked up another nine top 10 finishes (with another podium in Semmering's GS) and also stunned the skiing world by taking two silver medals at the World Championships in Val d'Isère in downhill and supercombined on what was a particularly difficult slope for the ladies, running the super favourite Lindsey Vonn very close in the speed event. All at the tender age of 17!

Speaking five languages, German, French and Italian mother-tongue as well as English and Spanish, Lara has not forsaken her studies but has still found the time to train hard through the summer break, focussing on her technique, to be prepared to take other important steps forward in the upcoming season on her way to expected greatness.