Luka Kovačič excels at the World Championships...

Luka Kovačič performed brilliantly at the World Championships in ski mountaineering in Villars, Switzerland, where he competed in the senior category for the first time, achieving an excellent 14th place in the ascent and qualifying for 21st place in the individual race. The cadets Anja Merlak Markič and Maj Pritržnik also distinguished themselves at their first international competition.







The Swiss Villars hosts the Villars 2019 World Ski Mountaineering Championships from March 9 to 16, where the young Slovenian trio represented the Slovenian team in competitive ski mountaineering among competitors from 31 countries.







Luka Kovačič (Društvo za razvoj turnega smučanja) made his World Championships debut two years ago, finishing 10th individually and 12th in the ascent among juniors, but this year he competed in the most demanding senior category for the first time. The 23-year-old from Kranj, named Slovenia's most successful ski mountaineer of 2018 in January, "warmed up" in Switzerland on Tuesday, March 12, with 21st place in the individual discipline among 75 competitors, won by Italian Robert Antonioli. The next day, on April 13, he achieved a career-best 14th place in the ascent among 63 competitors. With a time of 27:16, he was 2 minutes and 3 seconds behind the winner, Swiss Werner Marti, and less than 20 seconds short of the top ten.







"The World Championships exceeded expectations. Given the snow conditions at home, I expected the most from the ascent race, as skiing couldn't be realistically trained. I wasn't burdened by expectations and just wanted to give everything I had in both races. The individual race accumulated nearly 1700 meters of ascent over six climbs on a partly very technical course. I was competitive on the ascents, surprisingly so on the skiing, but lost mainly on transitions. So I ended up 21st, which was a slight surprise and great motivation for the ascent race. There, I aimed for the top 10 without hesitation. Due to extreme weather conditions, they adjusted the course, which was extremely flat, almost level. In less than five kilometers, we did only 470 meters of ascent. However, conditions are always the same for everyone, so it didn't affect me. I kept good contact with the best, but in the end, a tiny bit was missing for the desired goal - less than 20 seconds separated me from the top 10. The competition is getting tighter and tighter, so every ounce of strength can make a difference of five places. Drawing a line, I'd unhesitatingly call the championships very successful! I'm growing and progressing year by year, so I'm already looking forward to the summer running training and then winter again. I believe with the right support and team around me, I haven't said my last word," summarized Kovačič, who this year already became the Slovenian champion in ski mountaineering in both ascent and individual.







The best Slovenian ski mountaineering result at the World Championships to date is 8th place by Nejc Kuhar (Društvo za razvoj turnega smučanja) in the ascent in 2011 in Claut, Italy. Kuhar also reached the highest for Slovenians in the World Cup with 5th place, but otherwise concluded his competitive career with the national championships on Zelenica at the beginning of March.







The cadets, 17-year-old Anja Merlak Markič (PD Kranj) and 14-year-old Maj Pritržnik (TSK LiMa), made their international debuts, competing in all three disciplines: sprint, ascent, and individual. In the sprint, Anja finished 22nd, Maj 41st; in the individual, the 17-year-old from Visoko near Kranj was 22nd, the 14-year-old from Dobrne 38th, while in the ascent, Merlak Markič achieved 21st and Pritržnik 36th place.