Carlo Janka
Encyclopedia
Carlo Janka is a champion alpine ski
racer from Switzerland
. Born in Obersaxen
in the canton
of Graubünden
, he had the winter sports facilities right in front of his home. Janka has won gold medals at both the Winter Olympics
and the World Championships, as well as one World Cup
overall title and one discipline title.
race in December 2001 at age 15. Not until four years later did he reach the podium, but success came in all four disciplines. Janka began racing on the Europa Cup circuit in January 2004. He earned his first two World Cup starts in December 2005, but did not finish either race. At the 2006 Junior World Championships in Mt. Ste. Anne
, Quebec
, Canada
, he won the bronze medal in giant slalom
, and he finished the 2007 season in fourth place in the overall Europa Cup standings.
Janka scored his first World Cup points in the giant slalom at Alta Badia
, Italy
, on December 17, 2006
, finishing in 20th place. But his World Cup breakthrough began two years later, on November 29, 2008, when he came out of the 65th starting position to finish a surprising second place in the downhill at Lake Louise
. Two weeks later, on December 13, he skied to his first World Cup victory in a giant slalom race at Val d'Isère, France
, followed the next month by a victory in the Lauberhorn
super-combined in Wengen
. A month later, he won the gold medal in giant slalom and the bronze in downhill at the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isère.
On the weekend of December 4–6, 2009
, Janka achieved a remarkable feat by winning the super-combined, downhill, and giant slalom on the challenging Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek
, Colorado
. Janka was the first skier to win three World Cup races in a single weekend since Hermann Maier
at the same location ten years earlier on the 2000 World Cup
tour. On the same weekend as Janka triumphed in Beaver Creek, Lindsey Vonn almost duplicated the feat on the women's tour at Lake Louise, winning two races and narrowly missing a third win. On January 16, 2010, Janka won the Lauberhorn
downhill in Wengen
, the longest and fastest race on the World Cup tour, a day after nearly repeating his 2009 win in the super-combined by narrowly placing second behind Bode Miller
.
On February 23, 2010, Janka won the gold medal in the giant slalom
at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
at Whistler Creekside in Whistler
, British Columbia
, Canada.
At the World Cup finals in Garmisch
, Germany, in March 2010, he became the fourth Swiss racer to win the World Cup overall title. He clinched the title by winning the downhill and giant slalom, which left his nearest opponent, Benjamin Raich
, 106 points back with one race remaining, an insurmountable margin.
Following the 2011 World Championships, Janka underwent surgery due to increased symptoms from heart arrhythmias. A radio frequency catheter intervention was done on February 23, interrupting accessory electrical pathways to the heart. These unnecessary extra pathways had caused his heart rate to behave abnormally during exercise and stress, posing possibly severe risks. Janka recovered well from the catheterization and resumed training five days later, winning the giant slalom at Kranjska Gora
, Slovenia
on March 5 for his first victory of the World Cup season.
(3 downhill, 4 giant slalom
, 2 combined
)
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
racer from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Born in Obersaxen
Obersaxen
Obersaxen is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Obersaxen is first mentioned in 765 as Supersaxa though this is from a copy which dates from later...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
, he had the winter sports facilities right in front of his home. Janka has won gold medals at both the Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The ten events were scheduled for February 13–27, 2010; weather delayed the first event, the men's downhill, two days until Monday, February 15....
and the World Championships, as well as one World Cup
2010 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 44th World Cup season began on October 24, 2009, in Sölden, Austria, and concluded on March 14, 2010, at the World Cup finals in Garmisch, Germany....
overall title and one discipline title.
Ski racing career
Janka competed in his first international FISInternational Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
race in December 2001 at age 15. Not until four years later did he reach the podium, but success came in all four disciplines. Janka began racing on the Europa Cup circuit in January 2004. He earned his first two World Cup starts in December 2005, but did not finish either race. At the 2006 Junior World Championships in Mt. Ste. Anne
Mont-Sainte-Anne
Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in the city of Beaupré, Quebec, Canada, located about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain has a summit elevation of 800 metres above sea level and a vertical drop of 625 m . There are 66 trails covering on three different sides of the mountain...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, he won the bronze medal in giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
, and he finished the 2007 season in fourth place in the overall Europa Cup standings.
Janka scored his first World Cup points in the giant slalom at Alta Badia
Alta Badia
Alta Badia is a ski resort in the upper part of the Val Badia in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It is included in the territories of the municipalities' of Corvara, Badia and La Val. It is a regular stop on the World Cup schedule, usually by the men in mid-December...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on December 17, 2006
2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 41st World Cup season was scheduled to begin on October 28, 2006, but cancellation of the opening races in Sölden delayed the season's start by two weeks. A very poor snowpack in the Alps, along with stormy weather in January, caused numerous races to be moved and rescheduled throughout the...
, finishing in 20th place. But his World Cup breakthrough began two years later, on November 29, 2008, when he came out of the 65th starting position to finish a surprising second place in the downhill at Lake Louise
Lake Louise Mountain Resort
The Lake Louise Ski Area is a ski resort located in Banff National Park, near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It can be reached from Banff, from where it is a 35 to 45 minute drive west on Trans-Canada Highway, or Calgary, a 2-hour drive...
. Two weeks later, on December 13, he skied to his first World Cup victory in a giant slalom race at Val d'Isère, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, followed the next month by a victory in the Lauberhorn
Lauberhorn
The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level....
super-combined in Wengen
Wengen
Wengen may refer to:*Wengen, a village and winter resort in Switzerland*La Val, a commune in South Tyrol, Italy with the German name "Wengen"*in Germany:**Wengen , a village in the municipality of Nennslingen in Mittelfranken...
. A month later, he won the gold medal in giant slalom and the bronze in downhill at the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isère.
On the weekend of December 4–6, 2009
2010 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 44th World Cup season began on October 24, 2009, in Sölden, Austria, and concluded on March 14, 2010, at the World Cup finals in Garmisch, Germany....
, Janka achieved a remarkable feat by winning the super-combined, downhill, and giant slalom on the challenging Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Resort
Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Janka was the first skier to win three World Cup races in a single weekend since Hermann Maier
Hermann Maier
Hermann Maier is an Austrian former alpine ski racer. Maier ranks among the finest alpine ski racers in history, having won four overall World Cup titles , two Olympic gold medals , and three World Championship titles...
at the same location ten years earlier on the 2000 World Cup
2000 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 34th World Cup season began in October 1999 and concluded at the World Cup finals in March 2000. The overall winners were Hermann Maier and Renate Götschl, both of Austria.- Men's Overall Results:- Men's Downhill Results:...
tour. On the same weekend as Janka triumphed in Beaver Creek, Lindsey Vonn almost duplicated the feat on the women's tour at Lake Louise, winning two races and narrowly missing a third win. On January 16, 2010, Janka won the Lauberhorn
Lauberhorn
The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level....
downhill in Wengen
Wengen, Switzerland
Wengen is a village in the Bernese Oberland in the canton of Bern, located in central Switzerland at an elevation of 1274 m above sea level, and is part of the Jungfrauregion. Wengen has approximately 1,300 year-round residents...
, the longest and fastest race on the World Cup tour, a day after nearly repeating his 2009 win in the super-combined by narrowly placing second behind Bode Miller
Bode Miller
Samuel Bode Miller is an American alpine ski racer. He is an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008, and is generally considered the greatest American alpine skier of all time...
.
On February 23, 2010, Janka won the gold medal in the giant slalom
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom
The men's giant slalom competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia. Originally scheduled for February 21st, it was rescheduled to February 23rd, due to delays of preceding alpine events....
at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
at Whistler Creekside in Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada.
At the World Cup finals in Garmisch
Garmisch Classic
Garmisch Classic is an alpine ski resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. The resort is in the Bavarian Alps, and its maximum elevation is 6726 feet above sea level, with a vertical drop of 4429 feet...
, Germany, in March 2010, he became the fourth Swiss racer to win the World Cup overall title. He clinched the title by winning the downhill and giant slalom, which left his nearest opponent, Benjamin Raich
Benjamin Raich
Benjamin Raich is a champion alpine ski racer who won gold medals in the giant slalom and slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics of Turin, Italy...
, 106 points back with one race remaining, an insurmountable margin.
Following the 2011 World Championships, Janka underwent surgery due to increased symptoms from heart arrhythmias. A radio frequency catheter intervention was done on February 23, interrupting accessory electrical pathways to the heart. These unnecessary extra pathways had caused his heart rate to behave abnormally during exercise and stress, posing possibly severe risks. Janka recovered well from the catheterization and resumed training five days later, winning the giant slalom at Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora is a town and a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders.Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
on March 5 for his first victory of the World Cup season.
Season titles
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 2009 2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 43rd World Cup season began in late October 2008 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in mid-March 2009, at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden.Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the overall title by two points over Benjamin Raich of Austria. Svindal returned from a season-ending injury in December... |
Combined Alpine skiing combined Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:... |
| 2010 2010 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 44th World Cup season began on October 24, 2009, in Sölden, Austria, and concluded on March 14, 2010, at the World Cup finals in Garmisch, Germany.... |
Overall |
Race victories
9 race victories -(3 downhill, 4 giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
, 2 combined
Alpine skiing combined
Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...
)
| Season | Date | Location | Race |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 43rd World Cup season began in late October 2008 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in mid-March 2009, at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden.Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the overall title by two points over Benjamin Raich of Austria. Svindal returned from a season-ending injury in December... |
13 Dec 2008 |  Val d'IsèreVal d'Isère Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Giant Slalom Giant Slalom skiing Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G.... |
| 16 Jan 2009 |  WengenLauberhorn The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level.... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Super Combined Alpine skiing combined Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:... |
|
| 2010 2010 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 44th World Cup season began on October 24, 2009, in Sölden, Austria, and concluded on March 14, 2010, at the World Cup finals in Garmisch, Germany.... |
04 Dec 2009 |  Beaver CreekBeaver Creek Resort Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west... , USA |
Super Combined |
| 05 Dec 2009 | Downhill | ||
| 06 Dec 2009 | Giant Slalom | ||
| 16 Jan 2010 | Wengen, Switzerland |
Downhill | |
| 10 Mar 2010 |  GarmischGarmisch Classic Garmisch Classic is an alpine ski resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. The resort is in the Bavarian Alps, and its maximum elevation is 6726 feet above sea level, with a vertical drop of 4429 feet... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Downhill | |
| 12 Mar 2010 | Giant Slalom | ||
| 2011 2011 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 45th FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season began on 23 October 2010, in Sölden, Austria, and concluded on 20 March 2011, at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.Being an odd-numbered year, the biennial World Championships took place in February... |
|||
| 05 Mar 2011 |  Kranjska GoraKranjska Gora Kranjska Gora is a town and a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders.Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps... , Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of... |
Giant Slalom |
External links
- FIS-ski.com - World Cup season standings - Carlo Janka
- Ski-db.com - results - Carlo Janka
- skionline.ch - Carlo Janka's blog -
- Biography from Skionline.ch