All of Slovenia is jumping of joy! Literally. At the greatest of winter sports events, attended by 43 Slovenian winter athletes, four of the seven Slovenian Olympic medals have been brought home by its ski jumpers. And there’s more. For the first time in the history of Slovenian sport, two Slovenian female athletes stood on the winners’ podium at the same time. The other two Slovenian medals, won in snowboarding, also tell a remarkable Olympic story – both were won on the same day in the same discipline, one in the women’s and one in the men’s competition. In a magnificent way, the Slovenian cluster of medals was complemented by a silver medal in alpine skiing.
In addition to the medals, Slovenian athletes have achieved a number of placings among the top ten, proving that Slovenia, despite its small size on the word map, is one of the great names in sport.
Slovenia is second in the world in terms of the number of medals per capita won at the Beijing Olympic Games!
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, the haul of Slovenian Olympic medals has increased to 75. Slovenia has won five medals at four Olympic Games so far, and after Sochi, where Slovenia won a grand total of eight medals, Beijing is the second most successful Olympic venue for Slovenia, with seven medals won. An interesting fact is that most of the medals from the Beijing Winter Olympics were won in the first four days.
Urša Bogataj
ski jumping, individual
Nika Križnar, Timi Zajc, Urša Bogataj, Peter Prevc
ski jumping, mixed teams
Tim Mastnak
snowboarding, parallel giant slalom
Žan Kranjec
alpine skiing, giant slalom
Lovro Kos, Cene Prevc, Timi Zajc, Peter Prevc
Lovro Kos, Cene Prevc, Timi Zajc, Peter Prevc, ski jumping, men’s team
Nika Križnar
ski jumping, individual
Glorija Kotnik
snowboarding, parallel giant slalom
For Urša Bogataj, a ski jumper from Briše near Polhov Gradec, the 2021/2022 Olympic season started well. Prior to her departure to Beijing, she was the highest ranked Slovenian ski jumper in the overall World Cup standings. She had stood on the podium several times – the only thing missing was a victory. And she achieved this victory in the biggest sporting competition – the Olympic Games. With her outstanding performance and hill record of 108 metres on the HS 106 hill in Zhangjiakou, she made sure that the Slovenian National Anthem Zdravljica was played on the very first day of competition in Beijing.
Nika Križnar, Timi Zajc, Urša Bogataj and Peter Prevc completely dominated the competition at the first ever Olympic mixed team event in ski jumping. Despite numerous disqualifications in the teams of the ski jumping superpowers, the Slovenian quartet proved from one jump to the next that it was rightly considered the main favourite to win the competition. In the end, the team won the new Olympic gold medal for Slovenia with a huge lead.
Snowboarding is a sports discipline where Slovenia has won Olympic medals every time in recent years. And if the great era of Slovenian snowboarding started with Žan Košir in Sochi and Pyeongchang, it has continued with Tim Mastnak in Beijing. The athlete from Celje already has a silver medal from the World Championships in his trophy cabinet, and during this Olympic season he had also stood on the winners’ podium in the World Cup. In Beijing he was on track to win gold, but in the end he took the silver medal, continuing the Slovenian tradition of winning Olympic snowboarding medals.
The skier from Bukovica near Vodice has proved at the World Cup races on several occasions that his place is at the very top of the world skiing. During recent major competitions, he was considered to have bad luck, as he remained just short of standing on the winners' podium several times, including during the previous Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang, where he ranked fourth. However, luck smiled on him at the Olympic Yanqing ski track in China in a big way. In difficult snow conditions, after ranking eighth in his first run, Žan's performance during the second run was fantastic and brought him a silver medal. He became the third Slovenian Alpine skier to win an Olympic medal after Jure Košir in Lillehammer in 1994 and Jure Frank in Sarajevo in 1984, and the second to win a silver medal in the Olympic giant slalom.
The Olympian gods smiled upon the Slovenian ski jumping team again in the men’s large hill team event. In difficult windy conditions, Slovenian ski jumpers Lovro Kos, Cene Prevc, Timi Zajc and Peter Prevc were in the top positions throughout the competition and even led for a while, winning the Olympic silver medal in the end. This is the third Olympic team medal for the Slovenian men’s ski jumping team following the silver medal in Calgary in 1988 and the bronze in Salt Lake City in 2002.
On 5 February 2022 in Beijing, a new chapter was written in Slovenian sporting history. For the first time, two Slovenian flags flew at the same time at the medal ceremony. Bogataj’s gold in the women’s individual ski jumping event was completed by a bronze medal won by Nika Križnar. The ski jumper form Delnice near Škofja Loka had already won the crystal globe for the overall World Cup victory in the pre-Olympic season, and the individual and team Olympic medals were the icing on the cake for her.
Our snowboarder from Velenje wrote one of the most beautiful stories in Beijing. In her long sports career, she has had many ups and downs as well as injuries and was about to quit snowboarding. But last year she gave birth to her son Maj and motherhood seems to have given her new impetus. At the beginning of the season, she was not yet sure whether she should continue her career, but she ended up getting on a plane to Beijing at a special invitation and competed unburdened by any pressure in the Olympic parallel giant slalom. She dominated her competitors until the semi-finals and in the end she was left to fight for the third place. She seized the opportunity and was overwhelmed with joy to win her bronze medal.
In addition to the medals we have won, we can also pride ourselves with our placings among the top 10. Some competitors missed the winners’ podium by a hair’s breadth.
Photo credit: Aleš Fevžer OKS and Slovenian Press Agency
Slovenian athletes both female and male often raise questions with their numerous top successes about what is so special in Slovenia that makes it such a strong sports country. There are various reasons for this and here are only a few of them.
Slovenia is famous not only for its top athletes, but also as an excellent organiser of sporting competitions. Some Slovenian venues are firmly anchored in the winter sports World Cup calendars and are definitely well worth a visit.
When snow blankets this green country, it’s time to get out your skis and other winter sports equipment and get the most out of nature covered in shining white.
How does Ilka Štuhec, an alpine skier and two-time World Champion, imagine the perfect winter? If you cannot decide where to go or what to do in the winter in Slovenia, take a look at some of Ilka’s suggestions.
MoreHow does Ilka Štuhec, an alpine skier and two-time World Champion, imagine the perfect winter? If you cannot decide where to go or what to do in the winter in Slovenia, take a look at some of Ilka’s suggestions.
MoreIn Slovenia, distances between individual parts of the country are very small. Ski resorts are also relatively close to each other and connected by the single skiing ticket. Most of the ski resorts are family-friendly. In addition to skiing, you can enjoy many other winter activities.
MoreWinter has its charms. A stroll in the snow-covered countryside instils peace and fills you with energy. So put on your winter hiking boots or your snowshoes and take a hike along the snow-covered plains. Discover your winter fairy tale in the middle of pristine nature.
MoreCross-country skiing is one of the most popular activities among the Slovenians, proof of which is that you can find well-maintained cross-country trails in many places all over Slovenia. Everyone can enjoy cross-country skiing: true cross-country enthusiasts as well as beginners.
MoreWe Slovenians are an active nation and like to encourage others to join us. The Slovenian landscape itself offers many opportunities to spend time actively outdoors. Are you ready to accept the invitation?
Head to Slovenia for active winter experiences on snow and ice.
Experience the active Slovenia and get to know its sporting heart.
Discover the world of active outdoor adventures in Slovenia.
Slovenia is a hiking paradise. More than 10,000 kilometres of marked hiking trails.
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Vacation by rivers, lakes, in thermal spas or at the seaside.
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