Skier Gut punished for criticism of coach
Swiss skiing talent Lara Gut has been suspended for two races by the Swiss
Ski Federation for interviews she gave criticising head coach and former mentor Mauro Pini.
The suspension means that Gut, aged 19, will miss World Cup giant slalom and slalom races on December 28 and 29 in Semmering, Austria.
“We don't accept that an athlete blames the head coach and expresses herself this way in public, and especially not in the media,” said Dierk Biesel, the federation's sports director.
The federation added that Gut had also ignored verbal warnings to comply with guidelines on wearing official team clothes. Gut trains separately from the national team.
In her comeback after missing the Olympic season due to a serious hip injury, Gut has struggled to find form. Her best finish this season was 13th in a World Cup giant slalom in Aspen, Colorado.
Gut made her reputation as a 17-year-old, winning silver medals in downhill and super-combined at the 2009 world championships when Pini was her main coach.
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