Tina Maze facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tina Maze

Alpine skier
Maze in 2014
Disciplines	Downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, combined
Club	CRN – SK Črna
Born	(1983-05-02) 2 May 1983 (age 42) Slovenj Gradec, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
World Cup debut	2 January 1999 (age 15)
Retired	7 January 2017 (age 33)
Olympics
Teams	4 – (2002–14)
Medals	4 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	8 – (2001–15)
Medals	9 (4 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	17 – (1999–2015)
Wins	26
Podiums	81
Overall titles	1 – (2013)
Discipline titles	2 – (GS, SG in 2013)
Medal record Women's alpine skiing Representing  Slovenia World Cup race podiums Event 1st 2nd 3rd Slalom 4 5 8 Giant slalom 14 8 6 Downhill 4 4 3 Super-G 1 6 10 Combined 3 3 0 Parallel 0 2 0 International competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 2 0 World Championships 4 5 0 Olympic Games Gold 2014 Sochi Downhill Gold 2014 Sochi Giant slalom Silver 2010 Vancouver Super-G Silver 2010 Vancouver Giant slalom World Championships Gold 2011 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Giant slalom Gold 2013 Schladming Super-G Gold 2015 Beaver Creek Downhill Gold 2015 Beaver Creek Combined Silver 2009 Val-d'Isère Giant slalom Silver 2011 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Combined Silver 2013 Schladming Combined Silver 2013 Schladming Giant slalom Silver 2015 Beaver Creek Super-G

Tina Maze (born May 2, 1983) is a retired Slovenian alpine ski racer. She is known as the most successful Slovenian skier ever. Her amazing career included winning two gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Tina Maze was named the Slovenian Sportswoman of the Year many times. She has won more Winter Olympic medals than any other Slovenian athlete.

Tina Maze started her career focusing on giant slalom races. Later, she became great at all five alpine skiing events. She is one of only seven female skiers to win in all five World Cup disciplines. She is also one of only three to do it in a single season. Maze won Olympic gold medals in downhill and giant slalom in 2014. She was also a world champion in downhill and combined in 2015. She won world titles in giant slalom in 2011 and super-G in 2013.

During her career, Tina Maze won 26 World Cup races. She won the overall World Cup title in 2013. In that season, she won 11 races. She also set a record for World Cup points with 2414. This beat the old record set by Hermann Maier. She also won titles in super-G and giant slalom. She had 24 podium finishes, which was another record.

Tina Maze's Ski Racing Career

Starting Out in Skiing

Tina Maze first raced in the World Cup when she was 15 years old. This was in Slovenia in January 1999. It was a giant slalom race in Maribor. In her early years, Tina competed in slalom, giant slalom, and super-G. She earned World Cup points in slalom and giant slalom. At the 2001 World Championships, her best finish was 16th in slalom.

In January 2002, Tina Maze earned her first World Cup podium. She finished second in a giant slalom race in Maribor. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, she placed 12th in giant slalom. This was her first time at the Olympics.

First Wins and Progress

On October 26, 2002, Tina Maze won her first World Cup race. This happened at the start of the season in Sölden, Austria. She shared the giant slalom win with two other skiers. This was the first time three skiers tied for first in a World Cup race. In the 2003 season, Maze finished 38th overall.

In the 2004 season, Maze had one podium finish, a second place in giant slalom. She also started earning points in super-G. She began competing in downhill races too.

Growing Success in the Mid-2000s

Maze in December 2006

The 2005 season was very good for Tina Maze. She won three giant slalom races. She also had two third-place finishes in super-G. She ended the season 10th in the overall standings. At the 2005 World Championships, she was sixth in super-G.

In the 2006 season, Maze won another giant slalom race. She also had two more podiums. She finished 14th overall. For the first time, she earned World Cup points in all skiing events. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, she placed 12th in giant slalom.

The 2007 season was not as strong for her. She had only three top 10 finishes. In February 2008, Tina Maze won her first downhill race in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This was a historic win for a Slovenian female skier. It was also her first win outside of giant slalom.

Breaking Through: 2009–2010 Seasons

Maze with her silver medal at the 2010 Olympics

After some less successful years, Tina Maze made a big change. She left the national ski team. She started her own team called "Team to aMAZE." Her coach and partner, Andrea Massi, led this team. This decision helped her results improve a lot.

In the 2009 World Cup, Maze won two giant slalom races. She also had three more podium finishes. At the 2009 World Championships, she won a silver medal in giant slalom. This was her first medal in a major competition. She finished sixth in the overall standings that season.

In the 2010 season, Maze won one giant slalom race. She also had two second-place finishes. She ended the season fourth in the overall standings.

Tina Maze was the flag bearer for Slovenia at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She won two silver medals there. These were in super-G and giant slalom. These were the first silver medals for independent Slovenia at the Winter Olympics.

Continued Success: 2011–2012 Seasons

Maze in January 2011

Tina Maze started the 2011 season very well. She had many good results and podiums. She won her first races in super combined and slalom that season. She finished on the podium six more times. Maze ended the 2011 season third in the overall standings.

At the 2011 World Championships, Maze won a silver medal in super combined. She also won a gold medal in giant slalom.

The 2012 season was interesting for Maze. She didn't win any races. But she had ten podium finishes. She ended the season second in the overall standings. She was just behind Lindsey Vonn from the United States.

The Record-Breaking 2013 Season

Tina Maze started the 2013 season with a win in giant slalom. She then won two more giant slalom races. She also won a super combined race. By the New Year, she had 11 podiums, including five wins. She had a big lead in the overall standings. She broke records for most points and most podiums in a calendar year.

On January 13, 2013, she won her first super-G race. This made her one of the few skiers to win in all five World Cup disciplines. On January 26, Maze finished second in giant slalom in Maribor. This helped her win her first World Cup title in giant slalom. She then won the slalom race the next day.

On February 24, she won another super combined race. This secured her the overall World Cup title. There were still nine races left in the season.

On March 1, Maze finished second in super-G. This was her 19th podium of the season, breaking the ladies' record. The next day, she won the downhill race. This meant she had won in all disciplines in a single season. Only two other female skiers had done this before. In this race, Maze also broke Hermann Maier's record for most World Cup points in a single season. She ended the season with a record 2,414 points.

Maze broke many records in this season. She had the most podiums in a single season (24). She also had the most top 5 finishes (31). She won 69% of all possible points. She had a huge point lead over the second-placed skier. Maze finished on the podium in every giant slalom event that season. She is also the only woman to stay at the top of the overall ranking all season. Besides the overall title, Maze won the super-G and giant slalom titles. She also won both super combined races. She finished second in downhill and slalom.

At the 2013 World Championships, Tina Maze was a big favorite. She won the gold medal in super-G. Three days later, she won a silver medal in super combined. She also won another silver medal in giant slalom.

In October 2013, Maze received the Skieur d'Or Award. This award is given by ski journalists. She was the first Slovenian skier to get this honor.

2014 Season and Olympic Gold

Maze (left) with Dominique Gisin and Lara Gut during the podium ceremony of the 2014 Olympic downhill

The 2014 season started slower for Tina Maze. She had one victory and three other podiums before the Winter Olympics. She finished the season fourth overall.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Maze had amazing success. She tied for first place in the downhill with Dominique Gisin of Switzerland. This was Slovenia's first gold medal at any Winter Olympics. It was also the first time a gold medal was shared in Olympic alpine skiing. Maze then won another gold medal in giant slalom.

2015 Season and Retirement Hints

The 2015 season started stronger for Maze. She won three races and had four more podiums. She was leading the World Cup overall standings when she went to the 2015 World Championships. She won a silver medal in super-G. Then she won gold medals in both downhill and super combined. This was her best performance at the World Championships.

After the World Championships, Maze was tired. She had a close battle for the overall title with Anna Fenninger. Maze was leading by 18 points before the last race. But Fenninger won the final giant slalom and took the overall title. Maze finished the season second overall. She also finished third in slalom, super-G, and downhill standings. At the end of the season, Maze suggested she might retire.

Retirement from Skiing

Maze in 2017, shortly before her retirement

In May 2015, Tina Maze announced she would take a break from skiing for a year. She wanted to focus on her studies. On October 20, 2016, she officially announced her retirement from competitive skiing. She raced for the last time on January 7, 2017. This was at a giant slalom race in Maribor, the same place where she started her World Cup career in 1999.

Tina Maze's World Cup Results

Season Titles Won

Tina Maze won 4 World Cup titles: 1 overall title, 1 giant slalom title, 1 super-G title, and 1 combined title.

Season Standings (Overall Performance)

This table shows Tina Maze's ranking and points each season.

World Cup Race Victories

Tina Maze won 26 World Cup races in total. She had 81 podium finishes (top 3).

Season	Date	Location	Discipline
2003	26 October 2002	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
2005	22 December 2004	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Giant slalom
	8 January 2005	Santa Caterina, Italy	Giant slalom
	22 January 2005	Maribor, Slovenia	Giant slalom
2006	22 October 2005	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
2008	2 February 2008	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Downhill
2009	10 January 2009	Maribor, Slovenia	Giant slalom
	14 March 2009	Åre, Sweden	Giant slalom
2010	11 March 2010	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Giant slalom
2011	4 March 2011	Tarvisio, Italy	Super combined
	18 March 2011	Lenzerheide, Switzerland	Slalom
2013	27 October 2012	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
	24 November 2012	Aspen, USA	Giant slalom
	7 December 2012	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Super combined
	9 December 2012		Giant slalom
	16 December 2012	Courchevel, France	Giant slalom
	13 January 2013	St. Anton, Austria	Super-G
	27 January 2013	Maribor, Slovenia	Slalom
	24 February 2013	Méribel, France	Super combined
	2 March 2013	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Downhill
	10 March 2013	Ofterschwang, Germany	Slalom
	17 March 2013	Lenzerheide, Switzerland	Giant slalom
2014	25 January 2014	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Downhill
2015	15 November 2014	Levi, Finland	Slalom
	5 December 2014	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	12 December 2014	Åre, Sweden	Giant slalom

Olympic Games Results

This table shows how Tina Maze performed at the Winter Olympics.

World Championship Results

This table shows Tina Maze's results at the World Championships.

Personal Life

When she is not competing, Tina Maze lives in Črna na Koroškem. She is in a relationship with Andrea Massi, who was also the head of her ski team. They had a daughter in February 2018.

In 2012, Tina Maze recorded a pop-rock song called My Way Is My Decision.

During her year-long break from skiing, Maze finished her studies. She earned a degree to be an elementary school teacher.

Awards and Honors

Tina Maze has received many awards for her achievements.

• The crystal globes for combined events were not officially given out for the 2013 season. However, athletes still received their medals.

Images for kids

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  Tina Maze in 2014

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  Tina Maze in December 2006

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  Tina Maze with her silver medal at the 2010 Olympics

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  Tina Maze in January 2011

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  Tina Maze (left) with Dominique Gisin and Lara Gut during the podium ceremony of the 2014 Olympic downhill

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  Tina Maze in 2017, shortly before her retirement

See also

In Spanish: Tina Maze para niños