Lara Gut-Behrami: A career shaped by personal drive and media scrutiny

Lara Gut-Behrami, one of Switzerland's most accomplished skiers, has concluded her 19-year career. Her journey to becoming a top athlete was marked by unique circumstances, including significant personal support and a complex relationship with the media.

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If I want to promote Lara the way I always imagined, I have to go my own way.

From a young age, Gut-Behrami was guided by her father, Pauli Gut, who established a private team to provide the individualized training he envisioned for her. Mauro Pini, a childhood friend, served as the second coach, emphasizing the importance of individual development and artistic practice in sports, comparing athletes to musicians practicing scales.

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Talent alone is not enough to reach the top anymore. It also requires many runs without timing.

Despite her athletic achievements, Gut-Behrami struggled with media attention. An early experience at the 2008 World Championships in Val d'Isère, where she won two medals at 17, became a "traumatic primal experience." Journalists swarmed her for interviews after training, an encounter she later described as "very hurtful" and which made her lose her passion for the sport. She recalled wanting to quit because she was no longer having fun, stating that the period until she was about 22 felt like a "black hole."

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I feel like a person, like a completely normal person.

Gut-Behrami expressed a desire to be seen as a "normal person." Her career, while celebrated for its success, was also shaped by these challenging interactions and the intense focus on her development from a very young age.

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Much of it was very hurtful. I wanted to quit because I no longer had fun. Looking back, the time until I was about 22 is a black hole.