The 2011/12 season's focus for 20-year-old Lara Gut is to move one step closer to her goal of winning the overall FIS Ski World Cup. There is a tacit belief in her camp that winning the grand crystal globe may be achieved by the Swiss sensation, if not this season then certainly next winter.
Lara's competition program has been designed with the lofty ambition in mind: "I'll do as many races as possible this winter," said the fastest woman wearing Swiss colours. It is acknowledged that even if such a heavy load comes at a price on the leaderboard this season, the program will nevertheless accomplish an important purpose. Lara and her team will know how and where to launch attacks on the overall World Cup title in 2013. They will understand better the tactics required to succeed in that quest.
With such a bold plan, it could be said that the opening event in Sölden at the end of October did not go as well as hoped. Based on Lara's off-season training results she had been expecting to do better than the 15th place that she had to settle for. "Those were my two worst runs over the whole summer and autumn," she said self-critically. Yet she and her team are not going to be unnerved and the confidence level remains high. Lara had an excellent summer of training with her private team in Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. She is fit, healthy and brimming with self-confidence that this will be a magnificent season.
The next races will take place in the American ski resort of Aspen on 26th and 27th November. Lara has flown already to the United States to take advantage of the snow conditions and to ensure the best-possible preparation for the scheduled giant slalom and slalom races.
Away from skiing, Lara Gut has already scored a major victory this year. She successfully concluded the first part of her final school exams. "I've completed chemistry, physics and biology. It went very well, better than I had expected. I'm glad that I decided to stick with school. I don't want to look back when I'm 30 years old and blame myself for not getting as much education as possible beyond the world of competitive sport."
For the moment those who try to draw a definitive answer from Lara about her ambitions for this year's overall World Cup will find themselves quickly rebuffed. She is clear what she needs to do first and foremost. "I don't have any concrete goals in that regard," says Lara Gut. "I simply want to ski as fast as possible in every race."
Contributed by Key Partners KPMS
