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Bojan Križaj

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Bojan Križaj
Personal information
Born (1957-01-03) 3 January 1957 (age 67)
Kranj, SFR Yugoslavia
OccupationAlpine skier
Skiing career
DisciplinesGiant slalom, slalom, combined
World Cup debut10 December 1976
Retired26 March 1988
Olympics
Medals0 (0 gold)
World Championships
Medals1 (0 gold)
World Cup
Seasons12
Wins8
Podiums33
Overall titles0
Discipline titles1
Medal record
Men's alpine skiing
Representing  Yugoslavia
World Cup race podiums
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Slalom 8 9 9
Giant slalom 0 3 4
Total 8 12 13
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1982 Schladming Slalom

Bojan Križaj (listen) (born 3 January 1957) is a Slovenian former alpine skier. During his international career he competed for the then-existing Yugoslavia. He competed at three Winter Olympics.[1][2]

Career

[edit]
Križaj in 2015 at 58.

Križaj, born in Kranj, was a member of a well known Tržič ski family so he started skiing at the age of 3. In the season 1976/77 he received the first World Cup point, qualified among the 15 best slalom runners and later during that season in Madonna di Campiglio he hit his first top 3 podium. On 20 January 1980 he achieved the first Yugoslav World Cup victory in Wengen, Switzerland and later he won seven more times, thus still being Yugoslavia's and Slovenia's most successful male alpine skier to date.[2]

At 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, U.S., he reached the fourth place in giant slalom, missing the bronze medal by only two hundredths of a second. Four years later he took the athlete's oath at the opening ceremony for Sarajevo's 1984 Winter Olympics. He caused a stir when he spoke the oath not in Croatian or Serbian but in Slovene. Despite great expectations of the Yugoslav audience he finished ninth in giant slalom, much less than expected. Križaj should also have competed at 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but he got injured a few days before the event.[2]

His most successful World Championship was in 1982 in Schladming, Austria where he received the silver medal in slalom.

His most successful World Cup season was 1986/87 when he received the small crystal globe for the season's best slalom runner (that was the only men's crystal globe of that season not won by Pirmin Zurbriggen). Beside that he was the second in World Cup slalom standings in the 1979/80 and 1985/86 seasons and third in the 1980/81 season. His best position in overall World Cup standings was the 4th place in 1979/80.[2]

He concluded his career in 1988 at the race in Saalbach, Austria where he stepped off the skis right at the end of the track and walked into the finish area.[2] Since his skiing retirement he worked in many fields, including as importer of Austrian brand beer and adviser for ski products in Elan company. In March 2006 he became Head of Slovenian Ski Pool.

World Cup results

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Season titles

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Season Discipline
1987 Slalom

Season standings

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Season Age Overall Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
1977 19 43 15 22
1978 20 20 11 12
1979 21 8 12 3
1980 22 4 2 6
1981 23 6 3 15 12
1982 24 9 6 8
1983 25 9 5 20 15
1984 26 10 5 17 31
1985 27 10 6 22 20
1986 28 15 2 19
1987 29 9 1
1988 30 51 16

Race podiums

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  • 8 wins (8 SL)
  • 33 podiums (26 SL, 7 GS)
Season Date Location Discipline Position
1978 13 December 1977 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom 3rd
1979 22 December 1978 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Giant slalom 3rd
7 January 1979 France Courchevel, France Giant slalom 3rd
4 February 1979 Czechoslovakia Jasna, Czechoslovakia Giant slalom 2nd
13 March 1979 United States Heavenly Valley, United States Giant slalom 2nd
1980 8 December 1979 France Val d'Isere, France Giant slalom 2nd
11 December 1979 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom 2nd
12 December 1979 Giant slalom 3rd
20 January 1980 Switzerland Wengen, Switzerland Slalom 1st
27 January 1980 France Chamonix, France Slalom 2nd
1981 9 December 1980 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom 3rd
6 January 1981 France Morzine, France Giant slalom 3rd
25 January 1981 Switzerland Wengen, Switzerland Slalom 1st
15 March 1981 Japan Furano, Japan Slalom 2nd
1982 20 March 1982 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia Slalom 1st
1983 12 February 1983 France Markstein, France Slalom 1st
23 February 1983 Sweden Tärnaby, Sweden Slalom 3rd
20 March 1983 Japan Furano, Japan Slalom 3rd
1984 13 December 1983 Italy Courmayeur, Italy Slalom 2nd
22 January 1984 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Slalom 3rd
1985 16 December 1984 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom 1st
13 January 1985 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Slalom 3rd
1986 1 December 1985 Italy Sestriere, Italy Slalom 2nd
16 December 1985 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom 2nd
14 January 1986 Germany Berchtesgaden, Germany Slalom 2nd
2 February 1986 Switzerland Wengen, Switzerland Slalom 3rd
21 March 1986 Canada Bromont, Canada Slalom 1st
1987 20 December 1986 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia Slalom 1st
21 December 1986 Austria Hinterstoder, Austria Slalom 2nd
18 January 1987 Switzerland Wengen, Switzerland Slalom 3rd
25 January 1987 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Slalom 1st
21 March 1987 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo, Yugoslavia Slalom 2nd
1988 16 December 1987 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom 3rd

Olympic Games results

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Season Age Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
1976 18 DNF1 18 not
run
not
run
1980 22 DNF1 4
1984 26 7 9
1988 30 injured, did not compete

World Championships results

[edit]
Season Age Slalom Giant
slalom
Super-G Downhill Combined
1974 16 13 not
run
1976 18 DNF1 18
1978 20 DNF DNF
1980 22 DNF1 4
1982 24 2 7 DNF SL2
1985 27 5 8
1987 29 6

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bojan Križaj Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Bojan Križaj profile". fis-ski.com. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year
1979
1982
1987
Succeeded by