Alice Robinson
Alice Robinson (born 1 December 2001) is a New Zealand alpine ski racer. At age 16, she competed in the women's giant slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[1]
Alpine skier | ||||||||||||||
![]() Alice Robinson in 2019 | ||||||||||||||
Disciplines | Giant slalom | |||||||||||||
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Club | Queenstown Alpine Ski Team | |||||||||||||
Born | Sydney, Australia | 1 December 2001|||||||||||||
Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||
World Cup debut | 6 January, 2018 (age 16) | |||||||||||||
World Cup | ||||||||||||||
Seasons | 3 – (2018–2020) | |||||||||||||
Wins | 2 – (2 GS) | |||||||||||||
Podiums | 3 – (3 GS) | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Robinson was born in Sydney, Australia, the second of three children of Sarah and David Robinson. Her parents moved to Queenstown permanently when Robinson was aged four.[2] She started her ski racing career at Coronet Peak with the Queenstown Alpine Ski Team and later also trained with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy based in Tahoe, California during the northern hemisphere winter.[3] From 2016 Robinson has been coached predominately by former New Zealand Olympian Tim Cafe.[4] She currently attends Wakatipu High School in Queenstown.[5]
Robinson won the Under-14 and Under-16 New Zealand titles before beginning her international career.[6] In April 2015 she won the ladies’ U14 Giant Slalom and Parallel Slalom at the Whistler Cup (which is one of the largest and most important junior ski races on the international calendar) held in Canada.[7] and in 2017 she won the U16 Giant Slalom and finished second in Slalom at ‘Pokal Loka in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.[8] She also won the USSA U16 National Championship Giant Slalom held at Snowbird, Utah and took second place in the Super G.[9]
2018 season
In her debut FIS race on 30 July 2017 at Cardrona, she finished 3rd. The next day at the same venue she won the giant slalom race.[10][11]
On 10 August 2017, Robinson at the age of 15, won the New Zealand Alpine National Championships for slalom and giant slalom at Coronet Peak.[12] On 16 December 2017, she won her first North America Cup (NorAm) Giant Slalom race in Panorama, Canada. Her 8.70 FIS point result is the best any New Zealand skier has achieved in their first year of senior competition.[13] Robinson made her World Cup debut on 6 January 2018, in a giant slalom at Kranjska Gora in Slovenia finishing in 42nd place, and missing the cut to qualify for a second run by just 0.97s. Three days later Robinson won a FIS giant slalom race in Gaal, Austria in which she scored 11.90 FIS points, ranking her inside the top 70 in the world at the time.[14]
On 28 January 2018, Robinson was selected for New Zealand team for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games alongside fellow alpine skiers Adam Barwood and Willis Feasey. She is New Zealand's youngest ever Winter Olympian, being 16 years and 70 days when the games began.[15] At the Olympics Robinson was coached by former alpine Olympians Tim Cafe and Ben Griffin. Robinson finished 35th out of 81 skiers in the giant slalom, the best result for a New Zealander in giant slalom at the Olympics since Fiona Johnson and Anna Archibald finished 30th and 32nd at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York. She failed to finish the first run of the slalom event.[16]
2019 season
On 27 August 2018, Robinson won the Audi Quattro Winter Games NZ FIS Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) Giant Slalom.[17] On 5 September 2018 she won the New Zealand Alpine National Championships for Super-G as well as two Australia New Zealand Cup Super G races held at Mt Hutt.[18]
On 2 February 2019, at the World Cup giant slalom in Maribor, Slovenia Robinson finished in 25th place on the first run, becoming the first New Zealander to qualify for the second run (in World Cup racing only the top 30 racers qualify for a second run). She failed to finish the second run.[19] On 9 February, at aged 17, she won the European Cup Giant Slalom in Berchtesgaden, Germany, becoming the first New Zealand athlete to do so since Claudia Riegler in 2001.[20]
At the 2019 World Championships at Åre in Sweden in February, at age 17, she won the U21 category and finished 17th in the ladies' giant slalom, having the fastest time in the second run. This was the best result for a New Zealand alpine ski racer since Claudia Riegler and Annelise Coberger.[21]
Less than a week later, at the Junior World Championships in Val di Fassa, Italy, Robinson won the giant slalom by more than a second, becoming the first New Zealander to win a gold medal in the 38-year history of the Junior World Championships.[22] She also finished in 15th-place finish in the Super-G.[23]
On 8 March 2019, at the World Cup giant slalom in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic Robinson finished 16th in a 70 strong field earning 15 World Cup points, the first in her career.[24]
On 12 March 2019, at the European Cup Finals Super G in Sella Nevea, Italy Robinson finished second place, 0.12 s behind the winner.[25]
On 17 March 2019, Robinson competed at the World Cup Final Giant Slalom held in Grandvalira Soldeu, Andorra. She earned the right to compete in the Finals by virtue of winning the Junior World Championships Giant Slalom the month prior.[26] At aged 17 she finished on the podium at the World Cup for the first time in her career, finishing 0.30 s behind Mikaela Shiffrin.[27] This silver medal was the first podium at a FIS Alpine World Cup for a New Zealand athlete since Claudia Riegler in Slalom in 2002.[28]
Robinson was named the Otago Junior Sportswoman of Year at the 2019 Otago Sports Awards. Her coach, Tim Cafe, was also named as the Otago Coach of the Year.[29]
On 24 June 2019, it was announced that Robinson was splitting from Tim Cafe who has coached her for the previous eight years citing a need for World Cup-level coaching. Chris Knight and Jeff Fergus, who formed the International Ski Racing Academy in 2018 are now Robinson's full-time coaches. Knight and Fergus previously coached the United States women's team which included four-time overall World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn.[30]
2020 season
Robinson began the 2020 season ranked a career best 10th in the World in Giant Slalom.[31] She won both the giant slalom[32] and the slalom[33] at the 2019 New Zealand Alpine National Championships. On 28 August 2019, Robinson won two Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) Super G races held at Coronet Peak. These results mean that she holds the yellow Super G ANC bib for the 2020 Northern Hemisphere race season.[34] On 30 August 2019, Robinson finished second in a ANC Giant Slalom race and was awardered the Janey Blair Memorial Trophy for being the fastest finishing New Zealand female.[35] On 28 September 2019, Robinson won the New Zealand Alpine ski racer athlete of the year award at Snow Sports New Zealand awards.[36]
On 26 October 2019, Robinson won her first Alpine World Cup race in giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, Austria. She defeated reigning World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin by 0.06 seconds. This is the first World Cup victory in any discipline for a New Zealander since Claudia Riegler in 1997,[37] and the first-ever women's World Cup giant slalom victory for a skier from New Zealand. She also became the youngest woman from any nation to win the Sölden World Cup race.[38] It was later revealed that she won this race while suffering from bone bruising to the knee following a training crash in the lead up. On 7 November 2019 Robinson announced that this injury would prevent her from starting the next giant slalom World Cup race in Killington, Vermont[39] but she recovered faster than expected[40] and started the event, crashing in the opening run.[41] Robinson won her second career World Cup giant slalom race in Kransjska Gora, Slovenia beating Petra Vlhova by 0.34 seconds on 15 February 2020.[42] She is the first teenager since Mateja Svet in the 1987/1988 season to win multiple giant slaloms in a single World Cup season.[43] On 18 February Robinson became the joint world number one ranked skier in women's Giant Slalom alongside Federica Brignone, Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova. She is the first New Zealander to achieve this feat in any discipline.[44] Robinson finished fourth in Super G at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships held at Narvik, Norway.[45]
Robinson won the Sky Sport Emerging Talent Award at the 2019 Halberg Awards.[46] For the second year in a row Robinson was named the Mercy Hospital Junior Sports Woman of the Year at the 2020 ASB Otago Sports Awards ahead of snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.[47]
World Cup results
Season standings
Season | |||||||
Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super G | Downhill | Combined | |
2019 | 17 | 62 | — | 19 | — | — | — |
2020 | 18 | 17 | — | 5 | — | — | 24 |
- Standings through 15 February 2020
Race podiums
Season | ||||
Date | Location | Discipline | Place | |
2018/19 | 17 March 2019 | ![]() | Giant slalom | 2nd |
2019/20 | 26 October 2019 | ![]() | Giant slalom | 1st |
15 February 2020 | ![]() | Giant slalom | 1st |
References
- "Alice Robinson". PyeongChang2018.com. PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- chris.rattue@nzherald.co.nz, Chris Rattue Sports writer (23 February 2019). "Skiing: Young Kiwi skier Alice Robinson making giant strides". ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "Is The Next World Cup Wunderkind from New Zealand?". Ski Racing Magazine. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "Is The Next World Cup Wunderkind from New Zealand?". Ski Racing Magazine. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- Roxburgh, Tracey (16 February 2018). "Plans go awry but Alice makes history". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "Alice Robinson » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "NZ Athletes Victorious at Whistler Cup » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "Gold and Silver for NZ Ski Racer Alice Robinson at Top International Youth Race » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "NZ Ski Racers Ben Richards and Alice Robinson have Won Medals at Top Junior Events » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "Is The Next World Cup Wunderkind from New Zealand?". Ski Racing Magazine. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "Alice Robinson » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "Queenstown's Alice Robinson wins two national titles at alpine skiing championships". Stuff. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "Victory for NZ Ski Racer Alice Robinson in North America Cup Giant Slalom » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- Friday; January 2018, 12; Zeal, 12:54 pm Press Release: Snow Sports New. "Alice Robinson Impresses on World Cup Debut | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- Taylor, Paul (28 January 2018). "Robinson selected for Winter Olympics". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "Winter Olympics: Skier Alice Robinson reflects on 'amazing' Olympic debut at 16". Newshub. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "Alice Robinson Wins ANC Giant Slalom » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "Alice Robinson and Willis Feasey Crowned National Super-G Champions » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "Alice Robinson Claims Europa Cup Victory » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- "Alice Robinson Claims Europa Cup Victory » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "Kiwi ski racer Alice Robinson impresses at World Ski Championships with fastest second run in Giant Slalom". NZ Herald. NZ Herald. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "New Zealand's Alice Robinson wins the Women's World Junior Giant Slalom". Ski Racing Magazine. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "FIS Junior World Ski Championships Val di Fassa (ITA)". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- "17 year old Kiwi skiier [sic] Alice Robinson has won her first World Cup points at a giant slalom in the Czech Republic – 09-Mar-2019 – NZ Rugby news". home.nzcity.co.nz. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- "European Cup Sella Nevea (ITA)". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- Brown, Matt (16 March 2019). "Skiing: Kiwi Alice Robinson to compete World Cup Finals, then return to school". ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- "Audi FIS Ski World Cup Grandvalira Soldeu – El Tarter (AND)". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- Reporter, Michelle Prendiville 1 NEWS Sport. "Kiwi teen skier Alice Robinson wins silver medal at Alpine Ski Racing World Cup". 1 NEWS NOW. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- Seconi, Adrian (18 May 2019). "Snowboarder takes ultimate prize". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- Chandler, Philip (24 June 2019). "Skiing star splits with coach". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- "ROBINSON Alice – Athlete Information". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- "National Championships Coronet Peak, NZ (NZL)". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- "Alice Robinson and Willis Feasey Claim Back to Back National Titles » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "NZ Ski Racers Dominate Podiums at Winter Games NZ Super-G Races » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- "Robinson backs up her Super G wins with a second place in a stacked field at the FIS ANC Giant Slalom Presented by Coronet Peak » Snow Sports". www.snowsports.co.nz. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- "Snowboarder takes top NZ award". Otago Daily Times Online News. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- "BREAKING: 17-Year-Old Alice Robinson Wins First World Cup". Ski Racing Media. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- "Kiwi skier Alice Robinson makes history with World Cup win". 26 October 2019. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- "Alice Robinson Will Not Start in Killington". Ski Racing Media. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- Brown, Matt (26 November 2019). "Snow sports: Kiwi ski star Alice Robinson gets a chance to resume rivalry with Olympic champion this weekend". ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- OlympicTalk (30 November 2019). "Mikaela Shiffrin rallies for podium as Italy goes 1-2 in Killington giant slalom". OlympicTalk. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- www.eurosport.com https://www.eurosport.com/geoblocking.shtml. Retrieved 15 February 2020. Missing or empty
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(help) - Snowsbest (15 February 2020). "18 year old kiwi, Alice Robinson, wins FIS World Cup Giant Slalom". SnowsBest. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- "Fis points details". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- "FIS Junior World Ski Championships Narvik (NOR)". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- Herald, Newstalk ZB / Michael Burgess, NZ. "Silver Ferns claim top honours at Halberg Awards". ZB. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- Seconi, Adrian (6 May 2020). "Award caps off stellar year for Robinson". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
External links
- Alice Robinson at the International Ski Federation
- Alice Robinson World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
- Alice Robinson at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
Awards | ||
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Preceded by Madison-Lee Wesche |
Halberg Awards – Emerging Talent Award 2019 |
Incumbent |