Ski queen Gut-Behrami and her mega team: who gives her strength, who is her man for business

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Only? It does not work. Lara Gut-Behrami (32) knows this too. The ski queen from Ticino has been part of a private team since her youth, but still works within the Swiss-Ski structures. Blick introduces people who actively help Gut-Behrami, support her or are simply always there for her.

Lara’s father was a ski racer himself and coached his daughter when she was a girl. He once founded the Sporting Gottardo ski club for Lara and her brother Ian because he was unhappy with SC Airolo’s ideas – “Team Gut” was born. During the World Cup, Pauli Gut was tolerated, but not always loved – his competence as a coach was doubted. Gut-Behrami once said: “I always suffered greatly because my father was attacked. He never let me sink when I was drowning, he never left me alone.” After a temporary crisis in which Pauli Gut stayed at home for a long time (“I had lost my father”), he has long since become indispensable to Gut again. Behrami. He is not employed by Swiss-Ski, but is allowed to accompany his daughter everywhere.

On July 11, 2018, Gut-Behrami married the former Nati captain at Monte Brè. Shortly afterwards, the two moved to a house in Udine, where Behrami played at the time – it is still their oasis of peace. In a kind of public declaration of love, Gut-Behrami once said: “I married for love, that’s all. When I met the person who made me feel at home, who penetrated my deepest being, I knew I had found the one who would accompany me every day, step by step.” Behrami is almost never present at the ski races – not even now in Saalbach. He works, among other things, as a football expert on TV. “I prefer it this way. This is her moment in the spotlight, it should belong to her and her family, who have been there for decades. I’m not someone who pushes himself forward when things are going well somewhere. There are plenty of those already.” Also important in Gut-Behrami’s life are her stepdaughters Sofia and Isabel Behrami – she has an excellent relationship with both of them. “I’m just sorry that I have to relax at home in the winter and disappoint them when they want to go skiing with me” , Gut-Behrami said.

Rehm has been caring for Head-Ski Gut-Behramis for eight years. The Austrian is considered a top executive; he has already sharpened and waxed the skis of Anja Pärson (Sd), Maria Höfl-Riesch (De), Bode Miller (USA) and Didier Cuche. Rehm’s relationship with Gut-Behrami was not always tension-free, but the Vorarlberg native can classify the emotions well. This winter, Gut-Behrami said after the chaos race in Jasna (Slk): “In the first run I had no edges at all, in the second run they were way too sharp.” The long-term collaboration with Gut-Behrami certainly bore fruit: with Rehm she won everything there was to win.

Gut-Behrami’s mother is less often in the ski circus than father Pauli, but is still very important to Lara. Unforgettable how the native Italian cried with happiness after winning the 2021 World Cup gold in Cortina (It). She was now also there, at Gut-Behrami’s giant slalom victory in Saalbach (Austria). Officially Gabriella Almici Gut is team manager, unofficially much more. Gut-Behrami once said that her mother kept all the letters containing insults and threats against herself to protect her. Brother Ian Gut, who ended his career last year, remains more in the background.

De Romand has been looking after Gut-Behrami since 2016, when she won the overall World Cup and could barely save herself from questions from the media and sponsorship. The lawyer was once a very good tennis player and also looks after ski cross giant Fanny Smith. He keeps a very low profile and has been refusing almost all requests for interviews at Gut-Behrami’s request for years.

The husband of former ski topper Sonja Nef was always an important ally for Lara. Especially when she had disagreements with the association, he supported her. What was unforgettable was how she fell into his arms during the 2013 World Championships in Schladming after winning the silver medal in the Super-G. And now she is celebrating her second overall World Cup victory under his leadership – Flatscher is no longer head coach, but Alpine director.

“We laugh a lot together,” says trainer Alejo Hervas about the collaboration with Gut-Behrami. She has been working at Swiss-Ski since 2019 and takes almost complete care of the Ticino native – especially her physique. “I can be hard and demanding, but I always seek dialogue with Lara,” says Hervas. Last summer, Gut-Behrami spent two weeks in Seville (Sp) to lay the physical foundation for the winter. In Saalbach, father Pauli Gut praised him highly. Finally, Hervas said, “I have an agreement with Lara: as long as she drives, I will accompany her.”

Gut-Behrami has been relying on the healing hands of the osteopath from Ticino for years. Unforgettable how the top skier flew to Ticino by helicopter in 2020 due to extreme back problems during the Crans-Montana USA speed weekend to be treated by Jermini. Thanks to Jermini there was a lightning recovery – the next day Gut-Behrami won the Super-G. Iker Cucò (physiotherapist from Swiss-Ski) and posturometry technician Giovanni Bardini are also available for Gut-Behrami.

The Austrian has ensured that Gut-Behrami has had the best material under his feet for years. He is head of racing at Head. In 2019, he publicly criticized Gut-Behrami when things were not going well for her: “If she feels like she is investing less in the material tests, she will get the ticket for that.” That caused problems, but that is long gone. Salzgeber compares Gut-Behrami’s successes with Blick with those of Marco Odermatt (26). And adds: “I really hope Lara continues.”

Source : Blick