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When did Lara Gut-Behrami (32) first appear in the ski circus? This is easy to find on the FIS website – even if you have to scroll down for a long time. At some point you find it, your first race. Gut-Behrami, then still riding under her birth name Gut, gave her premiere on August 22, 2006 at an FIS slalom in Las Leñas (Arg).
There were 19 riders at the start, the vast majority of them Argentinians. Gut-Behrami came second behind Macarena Simari Birkner (39, Arg). The gaucho woman says, “Honestly? I didn’t even know that. All I remember is that the night before, my sister and I decided to ride with few edges. Finally the snow was very soft. But it froze overnight and we had an icy slope like during the World Cup.”
A ski family with Olympic experience
Macaraena is part of the famous Simari Birkner ski family. With brother Cristian Javier (43) and sister María Belén (41), she participated in three Olympic Games (2002, 2006 and 2020). The father of her daughter Guadeloupe (17), who also participates in ski races, is also known: Noel Baxter (42) is a former British slalom runner. “We commute back and forth between Argentina and Italy, always from winter to winter,” reports Macarena Simari Birkner. She remains active herself, but also teaches young people.
Back to Gut-Behrami. Simari Birkner has no idea that she took 2.4 seconds off the Ticino skiing talent. No wonder: Gut-Behrami was only 15 years old. «First Lara tried to speak Spanish with us. But because we know Italian, we switched.” She has only good memories of the Gut family. «We always called Lara Piccolina. But she was already big on the slopes and her passion for the sport made a deep impression on me.”
“An incredible athlete”
Even today, Simari Birkner, who scored six points in the World Cup (always in combinations), follows the career of Gut-Behrami. And of course their triumphs in Saalbach. “She is an incredible athlete and I am glad I was able to race with her.”
And perhaps also a little proud that she managed to beat the best driver of this winter.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
