In Saturday’s giant slalom in Sölden, fifteen-year-old skier Lara Colturiová, who has been touted as an extraordinary talent, will make her World Cup debut.
The daughter of Daniela Ceccarelli, Olympic champion in super giant slalom from Salt Lake City 2002, has represented Albania, whose national team was coached by her mother, not her native Italy since spring.
In his new colours, Colturi has completed two dozen races in Chile and Argentina, which he completed in the past two months and dominated the South American Cup rankings.
His first start in elite circles awaited him in Austria, where the leadership of the Italian federation did not want to let him go at such a young age, so his parents arranged for him to change his nationality. The father of the talented skier is coach Alessandro Colturi.
Colturi will be 15 years and 341 days old when he makes his debut on Saturday.
At a younger age, German women Christa Zechmeisterová and Regine Mösenlechnerová competed in the World Cup for the first time in the 1970s.
The Turin native will surpass current American star Mikaela Shiffrin, who was 15 years 363 days at the 2011 World Cup premiere, and Switzerland’s Lara Gutova-Behrami (16 years 245 days).
“I’ve always admired Shiffrin and I even spoke to Gut-Behrami. I love the name,” he said with a smile before his big premiere.
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