Athlete profile: Jure Kosir

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Some might say Jure Kosir has it all: he's a national hero, rap musician, friend of Alberto Tomba, fiance to a top model in Slovenia, object of the admiration of squealing girls, civic spokesman and to top it off, he's a phenomenal skier and an Olympic bronze medal winner...only the accident of his younger sister and only sibling Maja tarnishes his story: eight years ago, she was paralyzed in an auto accident..."She still watches me ski," says Kosir. "We are close and she is my fan"...no doubt Maja was not the only fan watching when Kosir finished third in the slalom at the 1994 Winter Games...his podium on the final day of the Olympics capped off an incredible week for Slovenian skiers, who won three bronzes including Alenka Dovzan's third-place in the combined -- the first-ever medal for newly independent Slovenia...though Kosir's medal was not a surprise, his team's success on the whole signaled a larger call: Slovenia is here to stay as a skiing power...nestled in the southeastern part of the Alps -- called the Julian Alps -- Slovenia has a population of just two million, but its skiing tradition is rich, stretching back to the days of the former Yugoslavia...World Cup stalwarts Rok Petrovik and Bojan Krizaj were all from the Slovenian region of Yugoslavia...Kosir was one of the first Slovenians to make a mark on the World Cup level following the break-up of the Slavic states in mid-1991...he burst onto the scene winning the 1993 slalom Events at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy -- a place he still calls one of his favorite ski resorts..."What better publicity is there for our country than Jure's victory in the World Cup," said Slovenian Ski Federation president Toni Vogrinec at the time...alpine skiing is by far the most popular spectator and participant sport in Slovenia...in fact, the World Cup stops in Kosir's hometown of Kranjska Gora, Slovenia every season...after establishing himself as a medal favorite leading up to Lillehammer, Kosir was one of the few skiers to post a solid second run at the Haftjell course, coming away with a bronze...not only that, but teammate Mitja Kunc placed fourth...back home, Slovenia went so wild with celebration over their skiers' success that the team's fax machine at the hotel broke from receiving so many celebratory messages..."To have won an Olympic medal and to have won the trophy for the "Best Sportsman of the Year" in my country in 1994 is the greatest success of my life," says Kosir...upon his arrival from Lillehammer, Kosir was bombarded with interview requests and promotional appearances...he signed on as a spokesman for a bank and a brand of tea...but since then, Kosir has settled down some in life and in competition...after a solid 1995 season, Kosir's results tailed off...he recorded only two podiums in 1996 and finished in the top five in only one slalom Events last year...some say that Kosir has had equipment problems and has not been 100 percent fit...others think that Kosir has spent too much of his energies elsewhere...Kosir is a member of his own rap group, and has recorded two albums since Lillehammer..."I like to call my music ‘slalom beat,'" says Kosir. "I like making music. It's how I spend my free time. I make melodic rap. It is not so hard-edged. I really have a good time with it. My friends make the music for me and I write the lyrics"...Jure is a huge NBA basketball fan, especially of the LA Lakers, and he enjoys riding on his Harley Davidson...it seems that Kosir has been living the high life since his Olympic success...while his current form does not make him a Nagano favorite, he is still filled with talent and remains dangerous in the slalom..."Jure was born with a gift," said a Slovenian coach. "An innate aptitude. This is a human who is 100 percent positive, stable and solid psychologically. There are many good skiers on the circuit, but how many champions? Jure is one"...Kosir is a close friend of one champion, the legendary Tomba...his Madonna victory upstaged Tomba, a former summer training partner..."Alberto and I trained in Norway together before," says Kosir. "We both went to Chile for summer training and trained slalom together. It was good for me. I learned a lot from him. His technique is very good, his slalom skiing stable and confident. I try to ski like that. I would watch Alberto on TV [when I was younger]. It was my great wish to train with him. He has helped me a lot"...Kosir has dabbled in the giant slalom and the Super G with coach Edi Slivnik and Pavel Grasic, but looks to be only a factor in the technical slalom Events...Jure comes from a family of skiers and started when he was very young...he looked up to Switzerland's great Pirmin Zurbriggen in his youth and understood what it took to succeed..."You must love sport, be excited about the idea of racing and train hard whatever the condition of the snow," says Kosir...Kosir's mother is an English teacher and his father is a regional manager of duty-free shops...Kosir speaks fluent English...