Slovenian · Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia · Born 2 May 1983The most successful Slovenian athlete in Winter Olympics history, who won a shared gold medal in the first-ever tied Olympic alpine skiing result before adding a second gold in the same Games.
Tina Maze was born on 2 May 1983 in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia, and began skiing at three in a village she described as having 'nothing else to do but ski'. She made her World Cup debut at 15 in 1999, initially as a giant slalom specialist, and won her first World title in giant slalom at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2011, Slovenia's first-ever alpine skiing world title. Maze broke away from Slovenia's national team in 2008 to form an independent training group with Italian coach Andrea Massi, a decision that transformed her career: she rose from 28th in the world rankings to the top, winning silver medals in both the super-G and giant slalom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In the 2012-13 season, she produced one of the greatest campaigns in skiing history, winning 11 races and 24 podiums for a record 2,414 World Cup points, the highest total ever recorded by any skier. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Maze tied with Switzerland's Dominique Gisin for gold in the downhill, the first tied result in Olympic alpine skiing history, before winning a second gold outright in the giant slalom, becoming Slovenia's most decorated Winter Olympian with four career medals. She won further World Championship golds in downhill and combined in 2015, before retiring in 2016 with 26 World Cup victories, having also pursued a parallel career as a pop singer in Slovenia.
Sharing the first-ever tied gold medal in Olympic alpine skiing history, then winning a second gold at the same Games
How They Played
Versatile all-round skier competitive across all five disciplines, renowned for technical precision and remarkable consistency across an entire season
Lasting Impact
The most successful Slovenian athlete in Winter Olympics history, remembered for one of the greatest single seasons in World Cup history
Career Honours
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, 2014 (Downhill, tied; Giant Slalom)
- 4x World Champion (GS 2011, Super-G 2013, Downhill & Combined 2015)
- 2013 Overall World Cup Champion (record 2,414 points)
- Most decorated Winter Olympian in Slovenian history
Slovenian Athletes