The true Master shines from within.

And that's how the words with which Lara Gut-Behrami commented on her success in the first World Cup giant slalom of the season in Killington should be assessed: "I'm very happy to be able to ski like I had hoped for at the beginning of the season." First place in the first race and her 35th World Cup victory went hand in hand with the desired good swing – for free.

At the age of 31, Gut-Behrami learned to no longer think in the external categories of victory and defeat.

And it drives better than ever.

Achim Dreis

sports editor.

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The Ticino native has already spent half her life in the alpine ski circus.

At the age of 16 she appeared as a "child prodigy" in the scene, at 17 she drove home from the Ski World Championships in Val d'Isère as a double medal winner.

The Ticino was considered a great promise of an entire ski nation.

And over the course of her long winter years of wandering, she had to learn to deal with being constantly observed and judged - not only in terms of her performance, but also how she reacted to it.

After her personal low at the 2018 Olympics, when she missed a medal by 0.01 seconds, she felt “lost” – wondering if skiing was still best for her?

What did she want out of life anyway?

She found out a little later.

The doubting skier had met the Swiss national football player Valon Behrami - and married that same summer.

They met at physiotherapy and talked about the best possible treatment for cruciate ligament tears - what athletes talk about with each other.

Lara, who oscillated between radiant beauty and bitchy diva in her external image, set up a place of retreat in Udine with the former “bad boy” Valon, who was thrown out of the Swiss national squad after the 2018 World Cup by the then national coach Petkovic after 80 international matches.

Two misfits in their group of wagons: out of narrow Switzerland, where the limelight is too often eclipsed by a mountain shadow.

Into the northern Italian art of living.

For the two of them, this included the logical step of deleting all social media channels – in order to be able to live carefree without self-selected surveillance.

Gut-Behrami realized her sporting goals when almost no one was expecting her anymore.

For the first time she realized "that my life would not change if I didn't win gold," she said in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 2021 - and became world champion in Super-G.

Finally gold, when it wasn't that important anymore.

She also won the giant slalom.

And triumphed exactly one year to the day after her first World Cup success at the Winter Games in Beijing in the Super-G.

Now, at the age of thirty, she was able to bear the title that she had worked on for half her life: "Olympic champion".

Nine months later, Gut-Behrami still seems completely relaxed.

Last winter she had to take a few breaks from racing for health reasons.

In the spring, a delayed lung infection turned out to be the cause.

In addition, a virus - "something similar to glandular fever" - had mated their radius of action.

Now the 31-year-old feels fit again.

On some days even "fitter than when I was 20".

Then she dares to take a long look ahead: "Milano and Cortina - I'll be there." It would be her fourth Olympic Games.

On other days, she's not so sure if she wants to extend her career to 2026.

What is certain is that she still loves skiing.

Husband Valon, on the other hand, has now let his sporting career end in Genoa after a dozen stations and now works as a football expert for an Italian broadcaster.

This Friday he needs a split screen: at 8 p.m. Switzerland will play in the explosive group game against Serbia for the round of 16 at the World Cup.

At the same time, the first downhill run of the World Cup season starts in Lake Louise.

Gut-Behrami usually drove behind there because the track didn't suit her style.

But she has long since learned that expecting nothing can be the best starting position.