Rok Petrovič

Rok Petrovič
 Alpine skier 
Disciplines Giant slalom, Slalom
Born 5 February 1966
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Died 16 September 1993 (aged 27)
Vela Luka, Croatia
World Cup debut 10 December 1984
Retired 10 March 1989
Olympics
Medals 0 (0 gold)
World Championships
Medals 0 (0 gold)
World Cup
Seasons 5
Wins 5
Podiums 9
Overall titles 0
Discipline titles 1

Rok Petrovič  listen  (5 February 1966 - 16 September 1993) was a Slovenian alpine skier.

Petrovič was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the son of Krešimir Petrović, a well known sports psychologist of Croatian origin (His mother been from Vela Luka). His first success in alpine ski racing was the 1983 Junior World Championship slalom title in Sestriere, Italy.

After this he rapidly advanced up the world slalom rankings. In the 1985–86 Alpine Skiing World Cup season, he was practically unbeatable in slalom, his competition left to wait for rare mistakes in his highly aggressive and innovative skiing style. That season he won 5 races, is second in St. Anton, Austria and third in Geilo, Norway, easily winning the World Cup slalom title and becoming the first Slovenian with a crystal globe.

After his championship-winning season, Petrovič was unable to recapture his winning form, the only hint of his championship season being a second place behind his teammate Bojan Križaj at the unforgettable race in Kranjska Gora next season. He finished eighth in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games giant slalom.

Due to his lack of winning results, he quit skiing in 1988 and began studies at the College of Sports in Ljubljana. He graduated in 1991 and continued with post-graduate study. He was to defend his M.Sc. thesis in the autumn of 1993, but shortly before defending his thesis he took a short break at the Croatian island Korčula and drowned in a diving accident.

Altogether he won 5 World Cup races, all in slalom and all in his champion season in 1985-86:

World Cup victories

Overall

SeasonDiscipline
1986Slalom

Individual races

DateLocationRace
1 December 1985 Italy SestriereSlalom
22 December 1985 Slovenia Kranjska GoraSlalom
2 February 1986 Switzerland WengenSlalom
25 February 1986 Norway HafjellSlalom
11 March 1986 United States Heavenly ValleySlalom
Awards
Preceded by
Dražen Petrović
Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year
1986
Succeeded by
Bojan Križaj