Slovak · Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia · Born 13 June 1995Slovak alpine skier and the first from her country to win an Olympic alpine skiing medal, claiming slalom gold at the 2022 Beijing Games and the 2021 overall World Cup title.
Petra Vlhová was born on 13 June 1995 in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, and trained as a child at the modest Podbreziny ski center near her hometown. She won gold in slalom at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck before making her senior World Cup debut later that year and her full Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 aged 18. Vlhová's rise accelerated through the late 2010s as she developed into Mikaela Shiffrin's chief rival in the technical disciplines. At the 2019 World Championships in Åre she won a complete set of medals - silver in combined, gold in giant slalom (Slovakia's first-ever World Championship gold), and bronze in slalom. In December 2018 she recorded Slovakia's first-ever World Cup giant slalom win, and in the 2020-21 season she became the first Slovak skier to win the overall World Cup title, doing so under a grueling every-race approach with coach Livio Magoni. Her defining moment came at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, where after finishing eighth following the first slalom run, she produced the fastest second run to win gold by 0.08 seconds over Austria's Katharina Liensberger, securing Slovakia's first-ever Olympic alpine skiing medal. She finished third overall in the 2023 World Cup standings and continued adding to her win tally before suffering a serious knee injury in a giant slalom crash at Jasná in January 2024, sidelining her for over two years. Vlhová returned to competition for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics, finishing her career to date with 31 World Cup victories, the vast majority in slalom.
Becoming the first Slovak skier to win an Olympic alpine skiing medal and the overall World Cup title, and for her long-running rivalry with Mikaela Shiffrin
How They Played
Technical slalom and giant slalom specialist known for her tall frame, aggressive attacking line, and ability to produce decisive second runs under pressure
Lasting Impact
Remembered as Slovakia's most successful alpine skier by a wide margin, having put the small ski nation on the sport's map for the first time
Career Honours
- 2022 Olympic Gold Medalist, Slalom (Slovakia's first alpine skiing medal)
- 2021 Overall World Cup Champion (first Slovak skier to win the title)
- 2019 World Champion, Giant Slalom (Slovakia's first World Championship gold)
- 2x World Cup Slalom Champion (2020, 2021)
Slovak Athletes