Tina Maze

Slovenian Alpine ski racers kept their contact to the world's best this season, owing to Ilka Štuhec in the women's World Cup and Žan Kranjec in the men's competitions. Štuhec finished as the runner-up in the overall downhill standings and Kranjec placed third in the final giant slalom standings.

Beijing – Slovenia’s Žan Kranjec won silver in the Olympic men’s giant slalom on Sunday, in what is his first Olympic medal and the sixth for Slovenia at the Beijing Olympics. Swiss Marco Odermatt won gold 19 hundredths of a second ahead of Kranjec, with France’s Mathieu Faivre finishing third.

Tchaikovsky – Nika Križnar has won the overall Ski Jumping World Cup to secure the first ever Crystal Globe trophy in the discipline in the women’s competition for Slovenia.

The 21-year-old Slovenian placed third in today’s event in Tchaikovsky, Russia, to pip Japanese Sara Takanashi to the trophy by nine points after the second series was cancelled due to strong winds.

Štuhec won a total of 1,325 points and was second only to Mikaela Shiffrin of the US, who collected 1,643 points to win the crystal globe for the overall winner of the World Cup.

This is the best result for Slovenia following the overall win by Tina Maze in the in the 2012/13 season.

"Farmers in some places in Carniola, especially near Turjak and there about, are familiar with a rare invention which I have not seen in any other country; they slide down high hills on snow, in winter, with incredible speed into the valley.

Maze said she wanted to appear one last time at the top level to wrap up her career in front of fans and friends in Maribor at the Golden Fox giant slalom race on 7 January next year. Her first appearance in World Cup was in Maribor in 1999, when she was just 15.

After the Super-G races at the Bulgarian ski resort Bansko were cancelled on Friday and Saturday on account of the heavy fog, a number of skiers complained about the harsh conditions and the FIS reaction on Sunday.

Despite the similar situation, ski federation made sure that the competition went ahead anyway, thus posing a danger to a number of skiers, Reuters reported.

The Austrian skier Anna Fenninger continued with her successful performance at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, which was held in the Bulgarian resort Bansko.

Fenninger won the Ladies Super Giant Slalom on Monday, recording a second successive victory in Bansko, after she won the Ladies Alpine Combined on Sunday.

Austria's Anna Fenninger won the Alpine Skiing World Cup Ladies Combined Race in Bulgaria's Bansko on Sunday witn a total time of 2 minutes 5.06 seconds from the two legs.

Overall leader Tina Maze of Slovenia followed 0.39 seconds behind.

Kathrin Zettel of Austria was third with 2 minutes 6.12 seconds.

Austria's Anna Fenninger is leading after Run 1 of the Alpine Skiing World Cup - Ladies - Combined race in Bulgaria's Bansko witn one minute 12.73 seconds, followed by overall leader Tina Maze of Slovenia with one minute 13.18 seconds.

Nicole Hosp of Austria and Switzerland's Dominique Gisin were both third with one minute 13.32 seconds each.