1/6
Livio Simonet was already thinking of leaving skiing behind.
Marcel W. Perrenski reporter
The career of Livio Simonet (25) includes a herminatory component. Just like Austria’s superstar Hermann Maier, the three-year-old brother of slalom specialist Sandro Simonet (was 3rd in the World Cup slalom in Chamonix in 2021) was sorted out by the country’s highest alpine officials.
Second attempt instead of studying
It was spring 2020 when the son of a bus driver from Tiefencastel was removed from Swiss Ski’s C squad due to his poor performance in the European Cup. “At that moment I was actually sure that I would end my skiing career. Instead, I wanted to start studying engineering,” says Simonet.
But because he first had to complete recruit school as a motor driver, he could not have started his studies until 2021. “That’s why at some point I decided that after the RS I would try again as a ski racer.” In the meantime, this decision has turned out to be absolutely grandiose.
First World Cup victory was expensive
In December, Simonet clinched two victories within 24 hours in the European Cup in Zinal. And in three out of four World Cup giant slaloms (25th in Sölden, 19th in Val-d’Isère and 22nd in Alta Badia) Livio finished in the points this winter. However, Simonet celebrated his greatest success last March together with his friend Fadri Janutin from Graubünden when they won the team competition at the World Cup finals in Courchevel-Méribel.
“We will both never forget this day. Also because of the legendary victory party »reveals Janutin. But this party was also incredibly expensive, Fadri recalls. “We celebrated in a bar where a beer cost 12 euros. Luckily we received 12,000 Stutz per person for winning the team competition. And because Livio received an extra bonus for the fastest run of the day, he also paid for the most expensive lap of the evening.”
Inseparable on and off the slopes
Janutin and Simonet have been having a good time together for a little while. “We were teenagers when we first met at a JO race in Graubünden,” Livio remembers. Since then, the two have been almost inseparable.
In the summer they go to festivals together, and in the ski circus the two technical specialists usually share a room. “Regardless of the topic – we almost always agree,” emphasizes Janutin, who fought for a permanent place for this World Cup season with second place in the giant slalom European Cup overall ranking last winter.
Home race as the highlight
But that doesn’t mean that there’s always a cozy atmosphere in the Grisons Ski-WG. “Livio is a particularly honest person. He tells me relentlessly to my face when he thinks I’ve screwed up.” In terms of performance in giant slalom, however, Janutin also deserved more praise than “fighting” this winter.
The slalom vice junior world champion of 2021 drove in Val-d’Isère for the second time in the top 20 in his fifth World Cup appearance and was 17th two tenths faster than Simonet. And now the two are really excited about their premiere at the giant cracker in Adelboden.
Attention ski fans! Now quiz and type races
The 2022/2023 ski season is coming up and with it the “Blick Ski Trophy”: answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!
The 2022/2023 ski season is coming up and with it the “Blick Ski Trophy”: answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!