Tina Maze
| — Alpine ski racer ♀ — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Maze in December 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | CRN – SK Črna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
2 May 1983 Slovenj Gradec, SFR Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 2 January 1999 (age 15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.tinamaze.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 – (2002–2010) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (0 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 7 – (2001–2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 6 (2 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 14th – (2001–2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 1 – (2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 2 – (GS and SG in 2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Tina Maze (born 2 May 1983 in Slovenj Gradec) is a Slovenian World Cup alpine ski racer.[1] She is one of just 6 women who have won in all five World Cup events and one of three women who have won in all five disciplines in a single season. Maze has 23 World Cup victories and is the current world champion in Super-G. She was the world champion in giant slalom in 2011,[2] and won the overall World Cup in the 2013 season.[3] In this season, she listed 11 victories and won a record number of World Cup points – 2414,[4] beating the previous record of Hermann Maier of 2000 points from the 2000 season.[5] In that season, she won the Super-G and Giant Slalom titles, finished first in the Combined event (although no globe was awarded) and finished second in Slalom and Downhill. Maze also improved previous Maier's record of podium finishes in a single season (22) with 24 podiums. In 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2013, she was awarded the title of the best Slovenian female athlete of the year.
Skiing career
Early years
Born in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia), Maze made her World Cup debut at age 15 in January 1999. She competed in the 2001 World Championships at age 17 and in the 2002 Winter Olympics the following year where she competed and finished 12th in giant slalom. Maze started her career as a giant slalom specialist, but later expanded and competes in all disciplines.
2003–2004: The beginnings
In 2003 she won her first race in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in giant slalom in Sölden, Austria. She finished the 2003 38th in the overall standings with 190 points, all in giant slalom. In 2004 she did not win any race and finished the 2004 33rd in the overall standings with 244 points.
2005–2007: The rise and the struggle
The 2005 season was Maze's most successful yet. She won 3 races in giant slalom and was on the podium two times in Super-G, both times 3rd. She finished the 2005 season 10th in the overall standings with 650 points, 366 of them coming from giant slalom where she finished 4th.
In the 2006 season she was on the podium 3 times, as 1st and 3rd in giant slalom and as 2nd in Super-G. She finished the 2006 season 14th in the overall standings with 525 points. The 2007 season was not as successful for her, she struggled and did not finish on the podium once and was amongst the top 10 only 3 times.
She finished the 2007 season 30th in the overall standings with 268 points.
2008: First win in downhill
In February 2008, she won the first downhill in her career (also the first Slovenian female downhill victory) in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This was her first non-Giant slalom win. She finished the 2008 season 28th in the overall standings with 287 points.
2009–2010: The breakthrough
The 2009 season was more successful for her; she won two races, both in giant slalom in Maribor, Slovenia and in Åre, Sweden. She was also on the podium 3 times, finishing 2nd in Downhill and finishing 3rd two times in Super-G. At the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isère, France, she won a Silver medal in giant slalom. She also competed in downhill, where she finished 14th, in Super-G, where she finished 5th, and in Slalom, where she did not finish. Maze finished the 2009 season 6th in the overall standings with 852 points.
In the 2010 season she was on the podium 3 times, she won the giant slalom race in Garmisch, Germany and also finished 2nd once in giant slalom and once in Slalom. Maze had 15 top 10 results, and finished the 2010 season 4th in the overall standings.
2010 Winter Olympics
She was the Slovenian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, where she won two silver medals in the Super-G and giant slalom at Whistler. She also competed in the super combined where she finished 5th, in Slalom where she finished 9th and in Downhill where she finished 18th. [6]
2011–2012
Maze began the 2011 season strong with several good results and podiums. She won her first race in the 2011 season in Tarvisio, Italy in the Super Combined. Her 2nd win came in Slalom in Lenzerheide, Switzerland 5 days later. She was on the podium a total of 8 times, a win in Slalom and Super Combined, 2nd place in Slalom, Downhill and Super Combined, 3rd place in giant slalom and twice in Slalom. She finished the 2011 season 3rd in the overall standings with 1139 points. At the 2011 World Championships in Garmisch, Germany, Maze won the silver medal in the combined and the gold medal in the giant slalom. She finished 5th in the slalom and downhill, and 11th in the Super-G. 2012 was a very interesting season, she did not win any race but finished on the podium 10 times, barely missing the win several times. 4 times she finished 3rd once in each Slalom, Downhill, Super-G and giant slalom and 6 times she finished 2nd once in each Super-G, Super Combined and two times in Slalom and giant slalom. She finished the 2012 season 2nd in the overall standings with 1402 points.
2012–2013: The record breaking season
Maze started the 2013 season with a win in giant slalom in Soelden, Austria. She then won the 2nd giant slalom in Aspen, United States of America, followed by two wins in St.Moritz, Switzerland both in giant slalom and Super Combined. She then won again in giant slalom in Courchevel, France making it 4 wins out of the first 4 races in giant slalom. She managed 11 podiums till the New Year, 5 wins, 2 times 2nd and 4 times 3rd, gaining a sizable lead in the overall standings. She also broke the record for most points in a calendar year (2180) and most podiums (19) in a calendar year. Her first victory in a Super-G on 13 January 2013 in St. Anton made her a member of the small group of all-event winners in alpine skiing. On 26 January 2013, Maze finished second in giant slalom in Maribor, Slovenia, and clinched her first World Cup title in giant slalom. On 27 January she added another win in slalom in Maribor, Slovenia. Maze also added several podium appearances during this time gaining even a bigger advantage in the overall standings, more points than the 2nd and 3rd combined.
On 24 February she won the 2nd super combined of the season in Meribel, France, thus securing the overall World Cup title nine races before the end of the season.[7] Despite having the most points in Super Combined standings, the crystal globe for this discipline is not awarded anymore since the start of this season.[8] On 1 March 2013 she was 2nd in a Super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany securing her 19 podium of the season and thus breaking the previous record for most podiums in a single season which was 18. On 2 March 2013 she won in a Downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, thus winning in all disciplines in a single season, something only 2 other female skiers achieved so far, in this race she also surpassed 2000 points and broke the record for most points in a single season which was 2000 held by Hermann Maier. On 13 March 2013 they canceled the Downhill race in Lenzerheide, Switzerland which meant that she finished 2nd in the downhill title race 1-point behind Lindsey Vonn. On 14 March 2013 they canceled the Super-G race as well which meant she secured her 2nd discipline title of the season in Super-G. On 17 March 2013 Maze won her 11th race of the season in Giant Slalom and finished her season with the record score result, and with 2414 points.[9]
Maze broke various statistical records in this season. They include the highest number of podiums in a season (24, record previously held by Hermann Maier (22) and by Hanni Wenzel and Pernilla Wiberg for ladies (18)), highest number of top 5 finishes (31, previously Hermann Maier and Pernilla Wiberg (24)), highest number of points after first 10 races (677, previously Katja Seizinger, 643), largest percent of possible points won (69%, previously 61% by Pernilla Wiberg), and the highest point difference to the second-placed skier (1313, compared to 743 for Hermann Maier and 578 for Lindsey Vonn).[10] Maze finished on podium in all Giant slalom events of the season, a feature previously achieved only by Vreni Schneider in the 1989 season. She is also the only woman to remain at the top of the overall ranking throughout the season – a feature only achieved at men's Cup by Bode Miller.[10] In addition to the overall title, Maze won the Super-G and Giant slalom titles, finished at the top of the Combined list by winnig both races in the season, and finished second in the Downhill and Slalom listing. The titles went to Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, respectively.
In October 2013, Maze was awarded the Skieur d'Or Award[11] by members of the International Association of Ski Journalists for her record-breaking performances during the previous season, thereby becoming the first Slovenian skier to receive the honour since its inception in 1963.
Alpine Ski World Championships 2013
She came to the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria as a favorite and not surprisingly so, at the time the championship started she was the leader in the 2013 World Cup rankings in 3 out of 5 disciplines, Giant Slalom, Super-G and Super Combined, 2nd in Slalom and 3rd in Downhill. Several former alpine skiers stated that she is capable of winning a medal in every single discipline.[12][13] In the first race Maze won the gold medal in the Super-G[14] and then 3 days later won the silver medal in the combined.[15] She then finished 7th in the downhill and won another silver medal in the giant slalom. She then finished 5th in the slalom.
Awards
| Year | Category | Voted by | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Slovenian Sportsperson of the Year | Slovene sports journalists association | Won |
| 2010 | Won | ||
| 2011 | Won | ||
| 2012 | Prince of Asturias Awards | Sports category | Nominated |
| 2013 | Sportswoman of the Year | Women's Sports Foundation | Nominated |
| Serge Lang Trophy - Skier of the Year | International Association of Ski Journalists | Won | |
| Slovenian Sportsperson of the Year | Slovene sports journalists association | Won | |
| World Athlete of the Year | Chicago Tribune's 27th annual international sports award | 2nd | |
| European Athlete of the Year | European Press Agencies led by PAP; women's category | Won | |
| 2014 | AIPS European Athlete of the Year - 2013 Sportswoman of the Year | International Sports Press Association | 2nd |
Women's Super Ranking
Best skiers of all-time in overall and each discipline based on ski-database ranking system (counting since 1966). This is a scoring system calculating points together from four categories: World Cup (Overall, Event titles), OG, SWC and World Cup races.
| Rank | Discipline | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Overall | 106.2 |
| 73 | Downhill | 4.7 |
| 9 | Super-G | 24.7 |
| 7 | Giant slalom | 43.9 |
| 67 | Slalom | 7.2 |
World Cup results
Season standings
Place (points)
| Season | Overall | SL | GS | SG | DH | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 54 (109) | 44 (16) | 23 (93) | – | – | – |
| 2002 | 36 (236) | 44 (12) | 8 (224) | – | – | – |
| 2003 | 38 (190) | – | 13 (190) | – | – | – |
| 2004 | 33 (244) | – | 8 (234) | 47 (10) | – | – |
| 2005 | 10 (650) | 39 (17) | 4 (366) | 9 (236) | 31 (31) | – |
| 2006 | 14 (525) | 46 (7) | 7 (309) | 13 (164) | 37 (36) | 32 (9) |
| 2007 | 30 (268) | 51 (7) | 19 (81) | 10 (143) | – | 19 (37) |
| 2008 | 28 (287) | – | 30 (24) | 19 (98) | 18 (125) | 17 (40) |
| 2009 | 6 (852) | – | 3 (368) | 7 (202) | 6 (256) | 21 (26) |
| 2010 | 4 (943) | 6 (272) | 3 (372) | 8 (200) | 25 (67) | 14 (32) |
| 2011 | 3 (1139) | 7 (295) | 6 (208) | 18 (83) | 8 (261) | 2 (212) |
| 2012 | 2 (1402) | 3 (413) | 5 (367) | 4 (257) | 9 (210) | 2 (125) |
| 2013 | 1 (2414) | 2 (655) | 1 (800) | 1 (420) | 2 (339) | 1 (200)[A] |
Season titles
3 titles (1 Overall, 1 Giant Slalom, 1 Super G)
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Overall |
| Giant Slalom | |
| Super G |
Race victories
at 2010 Olympics
- 23 wins – (13 Giant slalom, 3 Super combined, 3 Slalom, 1 Super-G, 3 Downhill)
- 66 podiums – (26 Giant slalom, 14 Slalom, 11 Super-G, 8 Downhill, 5 Super combined, 2 Parallel)
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 26 October 2002 |  Sölden, Austria | Giant slalom |
| 2005 | 22 December 2004 |  St. Moritz, Switzerland | Giant slalom |
| 8 January 2005 |  Santa Caterina, Italy | Giant slalom | |
| 22 January 2005 |  Maribor, Slovenia | Giant slalom | |
| 2006 | 22 October 2005 | Sölden, Austria | Giant slalom |
| 2008 | 2 February 2008 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Downhill |
| 2009 | 10 January 2009 | Maribor, Slovenia | Giant slalom |
| 14 March 2009 |  Åre, Sweden | Giant slalom | |
| 2010 | 11 March 2010 |  Garmisch, Germany | Giant slalom |
| 2011 | 4 March 2011 | Tarvisio, Italy | Super combined |
| 18 March 2011 | Lenzerheide, Switzerland | Slalom | |
| 2013 | 27 October 2012 | Sölden, Austria | Giant slalom |
| 24 November 2012 |  Aspen, USA | Giant slalom | |
| 7 December 2012 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Super combined | |
| 9 December 2012 | Giant slalom | ||
| 16 December 2012 |  Courchevel, France | Giant slalom | |
| 13 January 2013 | St. Anton, Austria | Super-G | |
| 27 January 2013 | Maribor, Slovenia | Slalom | |
| 24 February 2013 | Meribel, France | Super combined | |
| 2 March 2013 | Garmisch, Germany | Downhill | |
| 10 March 2013 | Ofterschwang, Germany | Slalom | |
| 17 March 2013 | Lenzerheide, Switzerland | Giant slalom | |
| 2014 | 25 January 2014 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | Downhill |
Personal life
When not competing or training abroad, Maze lives in Črna na Koroškem. She is in a relationship with her current Italian coach, Andrea Massi.[16] Massi is 16 years older than her and comes from Gorizia, a town on the border between Slovenia and Italy. He is a citizen of Italy, and speaks fluent Italian, Slovenian and German.[17]
Music
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While in primary school, in addition to skiing, Maze also played the piano.[18] During preparations for the 2013 season she recorded her first song "My Way Is My Decision".[19] She also blogged about the story of her trip into music.[20][21] The news of Maze becoming a "popstar" or "rockstar" was a celebrity news in her country,[22][23][24][25] and she received some attention in the foreign media, too.[26][27][28]
The song "My Way Is My Decision" was produced by Raay, one of the top Slovenian producers, and the music written by Matjaž Jelen & Raay, with lyrics by Charlie Mason & Leon Oblak.[29] It's a modern mainstream radio-friendly up-tempo song with a hint of rock. The song has become very popular at once. It was released on 26 October, the day before the first race in Sölden. The music video has become the most viewed new video on YouTube by a Slovenian musical artist as it reached over 400,000 views in less than 3 days, which is Slovenia's fastest growing video in the music business.[29]
Footnotes
- A Crystal globes in combined have not been officially awarded for 2013 season. However, athletes still get their medals.
References
- ↑ Tina Maze at the International Ski Federation
- ↑ "S kiing: Maze Takes G-Slalom Gold (I)". STA. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ Ž. K., M. R. (24 February 2013). "Mazejeva osvojila veliki kristalni globus!" (in Slovene). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ↑ http://www.rtvslo.si/sport/zimski-sporti/tina-maze-z-11-zmago-postavila-piko-na-i-nori-sezoni/304639
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Tina Maze is the Slovenian beauty who'll be Lindsey Vonn's biggest adversary at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014", Nathaniel Vinton, 16 March 2013
- ↑ "Two Times Silver Tina Maze Arrives Home". dax-photo.com. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ http://www.rtvslo.si/sport/zimski-sporti/mazejeva-osvojila-veliki-kristalni-globus/303097
- ↑ "In favor of super combined (crystal globe not awarded), stepping back only in slalom". fisalpine.com. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/disciplines/alpine-skiing/cupstandings.html?suchen=true&suchcompetitorid=&suchseason=2013§or=AL&suchgender=L&suchcup=WC&suchnation=&discipline=ALL&search=Search
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.rtvslo.si/sport/zimski-sporti/vsi-rekordi-in-obrazi-tine-maze/304695
- ↑ "Snow Kings Ski Site – Ski Racing – Skieur d'Or Award". Snowkings.co.uk. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.dnevnik.si/sport/zimski-sporti/alpsko-smucanje/porocevalec-iz-schladminga-glavna-tema-je-moznost-osvojitve-petih-kolajn-tine-maze-
- ↑ http://www.zurnal24.si/riesch-tina-lahko-osvoji-pet-kolajn-clanek-181425
- ↑ http://www.siol.net/sportal/zimski_sporti/schladming_2013/novice/2013/02/schladming_superveleslalom_zenske.aspx
- ↑ http://www.delo.si/sport/sp-v-smucanju/tina-maze-svetovna-podprvakinja-v-superkombinaciji-zlato-rieschevi.html
- ↑ "Tina Maze in Andrea Massi: Zmagoslavni poljub" (in Slovene). 5 March 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ "Tina Maze in Andrea Massi ramišljata o družini" (in Slovene). dax-photo.com. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ "About Tina Maze" (in Slovenian, English). tinamaze.com. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ↑ "Tina Maze: My Way Is My Decision (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "Tina's blog about her recording song My Way Is My Decision". Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "Tina's homepage". Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "First news about Tina's music trip" (in Slovene). 24ur.com. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "Premiere of Music Video for My Way Is My Decision" (in Slovene). 24ur.com. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "News about Tina recording song on national tv's web portal" (in Slovene). rtvslo.si. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "Music Video release on national's TV web-portal" (in Slovene). rtvslo.si. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "News about Tina's music video in Bulgaria" (in Bulgarian). ski.bg. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "Tina Maze is now Rockstar" (in German). blick.ch. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ "Tina Maze will be singer news" (in German). bil.de. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Pol milijona ogledov spota Mazejeve na YouTubu" (in Slovenian). rtvslo.si. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Official website (Slovene) (Italian) (English)
- Tina Maze at the International Ski Federation
- FIS-ski.com – World Cup season standings
- Ski-db.com – Results
- Sports-Reference.com – Olympic results
| Olympic Games | ||
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| Preceded by Tadeja Brankovič-Likozar |
Flagbearer for Slovenia Vancouver 2010 |
Succeeded by Tomaž Razingar |
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