| Disciplines | DH, SG, Combined |
|---|---|
| Club | Georgian Peaks Ski Club, Thornbury, Ontario |
| Born | March 30, 1988 Wiarton, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 171 cm (5’7") |
| World Cup debut | January 13, 2007 |
| World Cup | |
| Seasons | 3 |
Larisa Yurkiw (born March 30, 1988 in Wiarton, Ontario) is a Canadian alpine skier, specializing in downhill and super-G.
On January 13, 2007, Larisa made her debut on the FIS World Cup at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria in a downhill event. From 2008 to 2009, she reached the top 30 seven times. In 2009, she achieved a personal best at Tarvisio, Italy when she placed 9th in the Super Combined discipline. However, her most notable race came January 17, 2009 at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee when she stunned the field (and herself) by posting the fastest time in the downhill portion of a combined event.
On December 16, 2009, a crash during a training run at Val d'Isere resulted in an ACL tear, MCL tear, patellar tendon tear and tears in both the lateral and medial miniscus in her left knee. She did not compete on home soil at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.
Prior to debuting on the world stage, she had much success as a junior ski racer. She made her debut on the Nor-Am Cup on March 10, 2004, held at her home club, Georgian Peaks. From 2005 to 2009, she reached the podium seventeen times, having won gold eight times in all disciplines but slalom. She also had success racing on the GMC Cup (also known as Pontiac Cup), a non-FIS sanctioned ski series that challenges Canada’s most promising skiers. In 2007, Larisa competed on the South American Cup, having posted four top 10 results.
Larisa picked up a silver medal at the 2008 FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Formigal, Spain in the combined discipline. From 2006 to 2008, she posted three more top 10 results at this event.
She earned two gold medals at the 2008 Canadian National Championships in Super-G and downhill, and three silver medals in 2009. Since she was still considered a junior in both 2008 and 2009, she went on to become the Canadian National Junior Champion in downhill, giant slalom, and slalom.
Her progress as a rising star and professional athlete can be followed online by visiting her racing biography through FIS-ski.com.
Top 30
| Date | Rank | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 December 2009 | 24 | Lake Louise | Super-G |
| 5 December 2009 | 16 | Lake Louise | Downhill |
| 4 December 2009 | 24 | Lake Louise | Downhill |
| 28 February 2009 | 30 | Bansko | Downhill |
| 21 February 2009 | 9 | Tarvisio | Downhill |
| 19 December 2008 | 26 | St.Moritz | Super Combined |
| 5 December 2008 | 29 | Lake Louise | Downhill |