Kristaps Zvejnieks

Kristaps Zvejnieks
— Alpine skier —

Zvejnieks in February 2014
Disciplines Downhill, Super-G,
Giant Slalom, Slalom,
Combined
Club SK Virsotne
Born 15 February 1992
Riga, Latvia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
World Cup debut 24 January, 2012
(age 20)
Website zvejnieks.lv
Olympics
Teams 2 – (2010, 2014)
World Championships
Teams 2 – (2011, 2013)

Kristaps Zvejnieks (born 15 February 1992 in Riga) is an Alpine ski racer and inline Alpine slalom racer from Latvia. He competed for Latvia at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[1] He competed in slalom and giant slalom and his best result was a 37th place in the slalom.[2] He competes in FIS, CIT, EC and WC levels. He had his first World Cup start in Schladming on 24 January 2012.[3]

Alpine skiing career

He was born to Jana Zvejniece and Raivo Zvejnieks in Riga, Latvia, and grew up there. The closest ski area was in Sigulda, 60 km from his house. The biggest skiing slopes in Sigulda are Pilsētas trase, Kaķīškalns and Kordes trase, all more than 100 m above the sea level with a vertical drop of 80 – 90 m and length of 275 – 350 m.[4][5][6] He began skiing at three and racing at eight. In his first race he finished in 6th place. He made his first start in a World Cup event during the 2012 World Cup season in the slalom at Schladming.

2008 season

Zvejnieks started his FIS career in Geilo, Norway, with a GS race on 6 December 2008, finishing in 65th position with 127.47 FIS points.[7] Two days later, he finished the slalom in 31st position with start number 141, gaining 78.89 FIS points in his first slalom FIS race.[8] In the whole season, Zvejnieks had 40 races and he achieved to 50.42 FIS points in slalom. This was the first season with his trainer, the former Austrian and Japanese Olympic coach, the Austrian Peter Prodinger. After his first FIS races he was added to the Latvia National ski A team.

2009 season

On 16 July 2008, during the last training run in Mölltaler Gletscher, Austria, Zvejnieks crashed badly and broke his leg (fibula and tibia). He was determined to get back to skis as soon as possible, but it was too early. On 3 February 2009, he broke the same leg again. After several operations and a long time recovering, he began skiing again back in Mölltaler Gletcher on 14 October 2009.

2010 season

Zvejnieks recorded his first FIS race podium and victory at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, in December with 39.10 FIS points. He qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics on 26 January. In Vancouver, he competed in giant slalom and slalom disciplines. In giant slalom he finished in 62nd position,.[9] In slalom he was 37th with +11.97 seconds from the leader Giuliano Razzoli.[10] He was one of the youngest athletes to perform in Alpine skiing when he turned 18 years old during the Olympics.

2011 season

Zvejnieks started with a podium in the Levi FIS race. He finished in third position with 33.66 FIS points.[11] During the season he had 47 races.

2012 season

Zvejnieks started the 2012 season with 34.37 FIS points (567 in World ranking) in slalom. He made his first start in a World Cup slalom event at Schladming where he was disqualified for struggling a gate. Schladming seemed to be a turning point for Zvejnieks' success. He competed in many races and had great results. He moved down from 34.37 to 19.61 FIS Points in slalom at an Austrian Cup race in Gaal, where he finished 1st and 2nd in two-day races. He finished 1st in the German Junior race in Lenggries. At the end of season he finished 2nd in the Norway National Championships with 14.55 FIS points.[12] He finished season 2011/2012 in 16 April in Finland with 15.84 FIS Points in Slalom (156 in World ranking).

Other sports and achievements

Zvejnieks plays golf during summer time at GC Viesturi in Latvia. In May 2012, he started in the Ski & Golf World Championships in Zell am See, Austria, with the 4th best time in skiing.[13] As a better skier than golf player, he finished in 15th place overall in the men's professional group.[14]

He is overall winner of Latvian Cup 2008 – 2012, and Baltic Cup winner 2010 – 2012.

Zvejnieks was the inline Alpine slalom World Champion and World Cup overall winner in the 2012 Inline Alpine Slalom season.[15][16]

Inline Alpine slalom career

Zvejnieks started inline Alpine as a part of ski training in summer. As a Latvian with the biggest mountain of 312 m above sea level,[17] it was a good part of physical and psychological training for summer. He started to attend international European races in the 2005 season. In 2008, he won his first European Cup in Smiltene, Latvia.[18]

Alpine skiing career results

FIS points at the end of the season

Season Races
in season 		Slalom Giant
slalom 		Super G Downhill Combined
2008 40 50,42 86,89 72,97 – 104,55
2009 12 48,14 81.27 71,39 – 97,78
2010 41 38,99 57,54 60,55 72,53 115,25
2011 47 34,95 47,27 62,53 73,59 71,35
2012 47 15,84 31,49 58,59 69,62 42,04
2013 48 12,41 23,66 45,36 69,62 42,04
2014 43 12,41 16,85 45,36 83,25 62,65

Individual FIS races

Season Date Location Discipline Position FIS points
2010 20 Dec 2010 Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic Slalom 1 39,10
19 Jan 2010 Vratna, Slovakia Slalom 1 44,47
2011 27 Nov 2010 Levi, Finland Slalom 3 33,66
19 Dec 2010 Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic Giant slalom 2 51,44
20 Dec 2010 Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic Slalom 1 35,95
7 Jan 2011 Liptovska Teplicka, Slovakia Giant slalom 2 57,19
2012 20 Dec 2011 Solda, Italia Giant slalom 3 37,32
20 Jan 2012 Hafjell Olympiabakken, Norway Super combined 2 47,80
11 Feb 2012 Lenggries, Germany Slalom 1 25,53
12 Feb 2012 Gaal, Austria Slalom 1 17,13
25 Mar 2012 Hafjell Olympiabakken, Norway Slalom 2 14,55
2013 25 Jan 2013 Hafjell Olympiabakken, Norway Super Combined 2 52,21
11 Feb 2013 Wildhaus, Switzerland Slalom 3 15,61
14 Feb 2013 Schladming, Austria Giant slalom 2 22,36
13 Mar 2013 S. Valentino Alla Muta, Italia Slalom 3 22,51
13 Mar 2013 Vratna, Slovakia Giant slalom 2 34,95
14 Mar 2013 Vratna, Slovakia Giant slalom 1 31,83
28 Mar 2013 Jasna, Slovakia Giant slalom 3 31,90
4 Apr 2013 Kirovsk, Russia Slalom 3 11,30
5 Apr 2013 Kirovsk, Russia Slalom 2 13,51

Inline Alpine slalom career results

World Cup races

Season Date Location Discipline Position
2011 5 Jun 2011 Genoa, Italia Slalom DNS
3 Jul 2011 Degmarn, Germany Slalom 5
9 Jul 2011 Tuttlingen, Germany Slalom DNS
13 Aug 2011 Neukirchen, Austria Slalom DNS
28 Aug 20111 Turnov, Czech Republic Slalom 1
11 Sep 2011 Nemcicky, Czech Republic Slalom 1
2012 17 Jun 2012 Turnov, Czech Republic Slalom 1
1 Jul 2012 Degmarn, Germany Slalom 5
15 Jul 2012 Sigulda, Latvia Slalom 2
18 Aug 2012 Chammunster, Germany Giant slalom DNQ2
19 Aug 2012 Chammunster, Germany Slalom 1
8 Sep 2012 Stenenbronn, Germany Slalom 2
2013 2 Jun 2013 Genova, Italy Slalom 1
9 Jun 2013 Oberhundem, Germany Slalom 1
23 Jun 2013 Jirkov, Chech Republic Slalom 1
13 Jul 2013 Tuttlingen, Germany Slalom 1
11 Aug 2013 Uttendorf, Austria Slalom DNF
8 Sep 2013 Nemcicky, Czech Republic Slalom 16

[19]

Inline Alpine slalom season standings

Season WC races Podiums Overall
2010 4 0 38
2011 3 2 5
2012 5 4 1
2013 6 4 1

References

  1. ↑ "Profile". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  2. ↑ "Men's slalom results". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "World Cup debut". FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Pilsētas trase". Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Kaķīškalns". Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. ↑ "Kordes trase". Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "FIS Giant Slalom race in Geilo results". Kristaps Zvejnieks results. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "FIS Slalom race in Geilo results". Kristaps Zvejnieks results. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  11. ↑ http:/"FIS race in Levi Results". FIS races 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Norway National Championships in Slalom 2012 Results". Norway Alpine Skiing Championships 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Ski&Golf World Championships 2012 Ski Results Overall". Ski&Golf World Championships 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "Ski&Golf World Championships 2012 Overall results PRO group Overall". Ski&Golf World Championships 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Inline Alpine World Championships 2012Results". Cham 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "Overall Standings Inline Alpine Slalom World Cup 2012". Inline Alpine Slalom. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "The highest point in Latvia". Gaiziņkalns. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Inline Alpine European Cup in Smiltene, Latvia 2008 Results". Inline Alpine Slalom. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  19. ↑ "Inline Alpine Slalom World Cup Results". Retrieved 28 September 2012.

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