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.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
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.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Skiers ready to chase white gold
This content was published on
The circus gets underway this weekend with a giant slalom at the Austrian resort of Sölden, and stars Carlo Janka, Didier Cuche and Lara Gut will be looking to start the season as they mean to go on. The days when the Swiss ski team were stuck in a losing rut seem a distant memory.…
This content was published on
Some enjoy keeping their sponsors happy more than others, but all professional athletes recognise the need to shake the hand that feeds them. Camera flashes explode in the foyer of a five-star hotel in Saas-Fee. The Swiss national ski squad are striking various poses: skis on shoulders, pretending they’re on a ski lift, taking turns…
This content was published on
Gut posted the fastest speed on the course in Val d’Isère, France, at 104km/h with a time of one minute, 30.85 seconds. That was 0.52 seconds behind Vonn, who tapped 102 km/h but with a cleaner line. Italian Nadia Fanchini, who has missed much of the season with an irregular heartbeat, took third, only 0.05…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.