Maze, Tina

Tina Maze, (born May 2, 1983, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia), Slovenian Alpine skier whose four Olympic medals (two gold and two silver) made her the most-successful winter Olympian in the history of independent Slovenia.

Maze began to ski when she was three years old and made her World Cup debut in 1999 at the age of 15, but she did not reach the podium until January 2002, when she placed second in giant slalom. Shortly thereafter she competed in her first Olympics—the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, Utah—but failed to win a medal. Later that year, however, she earned her first World Cup win, in giant slalom. Her career took off in 2005 when she won three races and stood on the podium five times, earning her first of several designations as Slovenian Sportswoman of the Year. However, she had a disappointing performance at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, where her best finish was 12th place.

In 2008 she broke with the national ski team to found Team to aMaze with Italian ski coach Andrea Massi. Under his guidance Maze rose to the top of the World Cup rankings (from 28th in the 2007–08 season), and at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver she won silver medals in supergiant slalom [super-G] and giant slalom. Although she was all business during competition, Maze gained a reputation for her colourful antics, which included turning cartwheels after a good run on the slopes. Her fame grew in 2012 when she released a lively English-language pop record and accompanying video, “My Way Is My Decision.”

Maze had a record-setting 2012–13 season on the World Cup circuit. After finishing fourth in the overall standings in 2010, Maze was third in 2011 and second in 2012 before breaking out to win the overall title in 2013. She scored a record 24 podiums (11 victories) and became the only woman in history to have held the top spot in the overall standings throughout the season. She also set a World Cup record with 2,414 points, a staggering 1,313 points ahead of runner-up Maria Höfl-Riesch of Germany. In addition, Maze won the 2013 season titles in super-G, giant slalom and super combined while placing second in downhill and slalom, and she captured one gold and two silvers at the 2013 world championships to bring her career total to six medals in five world championships. She cited exhaustion and preparation for the Olympics as reasons for her disappointing performance during the 2013–14 World Cup season, when she was fourth in the overall standings.

At the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, Maze captured two gold medals (in downhill, in a rare tie, and giant slalom) to tie rower Iztok Čop for most Olympic medals (four) won by a Slovenian. At the 2015 world championships, she claimed gold medals in downhill and combined and added a silver in the super-G. At the end of the 2014–15 Alpine skiing season, Maze announced that she was taking the next year off from competitive skiing. In January 2017 she appeared in one more World Cup competition—a giant slalom race at Maribor in her home country, where she had made her World Cup debut 18 year earlier—and then retired from the sport.