With seven world championship medals - five gold, one silver, and one bronze - a World Cup in the SDH category in 2013, and World Cups in the S1 category in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2024, and seventy podium finishes, this is the impressive record of Italian speed skier Valentina Greggio. Born in 1991, she is the most successful athlete in the history of the sport. Her sporting history goes back a long way – she has in fact been skiing since she was a child – and has always seemed intertwined with the dimension of speed: “When I skied down the slope, going fast was fun. That's all I thought about." She shattered the world record in 2016, clocking in at an astonishing 247.083 km/h on the French slope of Vars. This record remains unbroken to this day. Holding a degree in Sports Science, Greggio is a versatile athlete, also working as a teacher, ski instructor, and athletic trainer. Can you walk us through the process of preparing to break a world record? What does it mean to balance the demands of being a professional athlete in this sport? And what do you see as the next big steps for speed skiing?
What sparked your interest in speed skiing, and how did you go on to set a world record?
“I started skiing at the tender age of three, gliding down the slopes on my first pair of skis Like most kids my age, I began with alpine skiing. Even during those early races, I realised how much I loved speed, but I didn't know there was a specific sport dedicated to it. And in Italy, there weren't any speed skiing slopes. So, for me, it was all about downhill skiing. However, I was contacted by the current coach of the National Speed Skiing team, and that's when I discovered speed skiing and realised how naturally talented I was for the sport. In 2010, I participated in my first competitions, and the following year, I joined the National Team in the SDH category (now known as S2), which involves using standard downhill equipment. In 2013, I won the World Championship in this category, becoming World Champion and setting a new speed record (still unbroken) of 202.576 km/h. In 2014, I moved up to the top category, Speed One (S1), using specialised aerodynamic equipment. Just a year later, I achieved a double victory by winning both the World Championship and the overall World Cup. Then, on 26th March 2016, I made history in Vars, France, by reaching an incredible speed of 247.083 km/h, setting a women's world record that remains unbroken”.
What are the specific characteristics of this sport?
“Unlike alpine skiing, speed skiing doesn't involve turns. As the name suggests, the goal is to cover the course with the highest possible speed. Glide, sensitivity, and good aerodynamic capabilities are the key qualities required. I imagine many people would add 'courage' to that list.”
How would you describe your relationship with speed and the ticking clock?
"For me, speed on skis represents the essence of pushing limits and surpassing them, as reflected in the various records I've set. It's a dimension that, however, only comes into play for me during competitions, in my sporting life."
What feelings do you experience when you think back to the Vars race in 2016?
"It's a day I'll never forget. I arrived in Vars as always, confident but also convinced that the world record on that track couldn't be beaten: the highest speed ever reached by a female skier on that course was 236 km/h. Having broken the Italian record with my first run, reaching 240 km/h, was already an incredible achievement for me. During my second run, I felt my fatigue fading, which was a great sign. Maybe that's when I truly started to believe I could break the world record. When I reached the finish line, I saw all the photographers coming towards me, but I was still too overwhelmed to realise what had happened. It was only ten minutes later when I saw the scoreboard with the result: I read those numbers, 2-4-7, and only then did I fully comprehend. A fun fact about that day: the night before the race, I dreamed of setting a new world record. And that's exactly what happened”.
How is your athletic training structured? Has it changed since you started competing?
"Over time, my team and I have realised that for my performance, it's crucial to simulate race conditions even in 'dry' contexts, so not on the slope but in the gym, for example. This is also due to the fact that there are no dedicated speed skiing slopes in Italy. Therefore, it's necessary to find alternatives to train consistently. I always try to analyse the season that has just ended in relation to the next one, identifying areas where I can improve. What has certainly helped me is self-awareness: of my qualities, the goals I want to achieve, and my skiing style. In this discipline, it's crucial to stay focused, maintain your position, and have exceptional endurance, especially muscular endurance, to handle any unexpected situations during the descent. While explosive power is key in alpine skiing, endurance is the name of the game here."
At the beginning of your career, you were both a student and a professional athlete. Now, you're a professional athlete and a teacher. You graduated with a degree in Sports Science and are also a physical trainer for young skiers. How do you manage to balance these different roles?
“It hasn't been and certainly isn't easy. You have to be very organised and make the most of every moment. Since I don't participate in an endurance sport, my training can be spread out throughout the week and adjusted based on the race schedule. There are months when I train multiple times a day, and others where the commitment is relatively low.”
Has being a female athlete ever been an obstacle for you?
"I wouldn't say it's been an obstacle, since skiing – both speed skiing and alpine skiing – is an inclusive, equal sport. The consideration given to results might be different: when talking about world records, the speeds achieved by male athletes are mentioned first, as they are, in fact, absolute. Sometimes, you can feel overshadowed.”
There are currently no speed skiing slopes in Italy. I imagine this is a topic that interests you closely. What other changes would you like to see in the discipline in the near future?
"Along with others, I'm working to certify an Italian slope near Verbania, where I grew up and live, as suitable for speed skiing. However, the course must be fast enough to support competitive speeds. Male athletes are now reaching speeds close to 255 km/h, and the slopes need to accommodate that. The length of the course, its steepness, and above all, accessibility come into play. Reaching the summit easily is a necessary factor. The slope I'm currently monitoring doesn't meet this requirement: the peak can only be reached by helicopter. Current environmental and climatic conditions certainly aren't helping; many slopes are disappearing due to rising temperatures. This has happened in Italy and Switzerland. Looking to the future, it's very likely that the sport will become an Olympic discipline in 2030, with the French edition of the Games. In fact, France has the fastest track in the world: for me and all the athletes, it would be a real turning point."
What can you tell us about the upcoming season?
"The season opens next January, on the 18th to be precise, in Finland. I've been preparing for this moment for two years, working tirelessly with my team to optimise both aerodynamics and materials. Now it's time to bring this project to a successful conclusion.”
