Longines Rising Ski Stars 2012/2013Mikaela Shiffrin and Alexis Pinturault
As official timekeeper of the FIS Ski World Cup, Longines honored in Lenzerheide for the first time Mikaela Shiffrin and Alexis Pinturault with the “Longines Rising Ski Stars” award. The American and the French skiers are the most successful young female and male athletes taking part in the current season of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
Both of them received a prize consisting of a trophy, a watch and a check for 20’000 CHF. This new competition reflects Longines’ continued support for young athletes.
As official timekeeper of the FIS Ski World Cup, Longines presented for the first time the “Longines Rising Ski Stars” award which has been given to Mikaela Shiffrin and Alexis Pinturault. The American and the French skiers have been the best young female (under 21) and male (under 23) athletes taking part in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup this season. They have received a trophy, a watch and a check for 20’000 CHF from the hands of Charles Villoz, VP Sales of Longines. This new competition reflects Longines’ continued support for young athletes and joins established events including the “Longines Future Tennis Aces” tournament at Roland Garros for young tennis talents under the age of 13, and the race “Longines Future Racing Stars” during Prix de Diane Longines highlighting young and promising jockeys.
Mikaela Shiffrin “One of my goals from the very start of my ski racing career was to be the youngest to win World Cups and make a mark as a young athlete. It's really cool that Longines has this award dedicated to young athletes. It's cool to push young athletes to do their very best and this helps do that because we're not always going to be competing for an overall globe or titles - it's great to know that young athletes have something special of their own to shoot for.”
Alexis Pinturault: “This prize is a great idea for the young skiers! The highlight of my season definitely is my first victory in Val d’Isère. It was a great moment, my first podium after my surgery and my first success in slalom.”
Longines’ long-term association with competitive ski started in Chamonix in 1933. For many decades, Longines has introduced important innovations to match the technological advancements of alpine skiing competitions and to address the demands of timekeeping and the audience. In 1993, for example, Longines developed a new TV technology that displays the intermediate time of the athlete versus the fastest competitor of the race.