Ilka Štuhec facts for kids
| Alpine skier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Štuhec at Garmisch in 2017
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| Disciplines | Downhill, super-G | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | ASK Branik Maribor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 October 1990 Slovenj Gradec, SFR Yugoslavia |
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| World Cup debut | 17 March 2007 (age 16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | ilka.si | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 2 – (2014, 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 7 – (2013–2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (2 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 16 – (2007–2008, 2010, 2012–2017, 2019–2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 11 – (7 DH, 3 SG, 1 AC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 22 – (14 DH, 5 SG, 3 AC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (2nd in 2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 2 – (DH, AC in 2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ilka Štuhec (born October 26, 1990) is a famous alpine ski racer from Slovenia. She is known for her speed in events like downhill and super-G. Ilka has won two gold medals at the World Championships in downhill, making her a two-time world champion. She also won three gold medals when she was a junior skier.
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Ilka Štuhec's Skiing Journey
Ilka Štuhec started her amazing skiing career at a young age. She showed great talent early on.
Early Success as a Junior Skier
At the Junior World Championships in 2007, held in Flachau, Austria, Ilka won two gold medals. She was the best in both slalom and combined events. The very next year, at the 2008 Junior World Championships in Formigal, Spain, she won another gold medal, this time in the downhill race.
World Cup Debut and First Wins
Ilka made her first appearance in a World Cup race in March 2007. She was only 16 years old at the time. Her big breakthrough came in December 2016. She won her first two World Cup races back-to-back in downhill at Lake Louise, Canada. Just two weeks later, she won two more races in Val d'Isère, France. She continued her winning streak, getting her fifth victory of the 2017 season in Italy.
Becoming a World Champion
In February 2017, Ilka competed at the World Championships. She won the gold medal in the downhill event, becoming a world champion! She also won the World Cup season title in the combined event that year. By the end of the 2017 season, she secured another title in downhill. She finished second overall in the World Cup standings and second in super-G.
Overcoming Injuries
Unfortunately, Ilka faced a big challenge in October 2017. She injured her left knee, which meant she could not compete in the entire 2017–18 season. This also meant she missed the 2018 Winter Olympics.
However, Ilka is a strong athlete. She worked hard to recover and returned to racing. In December 2018, she won two more World Cup races in Val Gardena, Italy. In February 2019, she successfully defended her World Championships title in downhill. This made her a two-time world champion in downhill! A few weeks later, she had another knee injury, but thankfully, she recovered without needing surgery.
Recent Seasons
Ilka has continued to compete in the World Cup. In the 2023 season, she had a fantastic year, finishing second in the downhill standings. She also won two more World Cup downhill races that season. She continues to be a top competitor in the speed events.
World Cup Victories
Ilka Štuhec has won 11 World Cup races in total. These include 7 downhill wins, 3 super-G wins, and 1 combined win.
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 December 2016 |  Lake Louise, Canada |
Downhill |
| 3 December 2016 | Downhill | ||
| 16 December 2016 |  Val d'Isère, France |
Combined | |
| 17 December 2016 | Downhill | ||
| 29 January 2017 |  Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
Super-G | |
| 25 February 2017 |  Crans-Montana, Switzerland |
Super-G | |
| 15 March 2017 |  Aspen, United States |
Downhill | |
| 2019 | 18 December 2018 | Val Gardena, Italy |
Downhill |
| 19 December 2018 | Super-G | ||
| 2023 | 21 January 2023 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
Downhill |
| 15 March 2023 |  Soldeu, Andorra |
Downhill |
World Championships Highlights
Ilka Štuhec has competed in many World Championships. Her biggest achievements are her two gold medals in downhill.
- In 2017, she won the gold medal in downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
- In 2019, she won another gold medal in downhill in Åre, Sweden, successfully defending her title.
She also had strong finishes in other events, like placing 6th in super-G in 2013 and 7th in combined in 2015.
Olympic Games Participation
Ilka has represented Slovenia at the Winter Olympics twice.
- At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, her best result was 10th place in the downhill event. She also finished 13th in super-G.
- She missed the 2018 Olympics due to injury.
- At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, she competed in the downhill event, finishing 22nd.
See also
In Spanish: Ilka Štuhec para niños
