In the middle of March, at the time of writing this article, the competition season is far from over, and we have already garnered great successes. The Szőllős siblings finished the alpine ski world championship, held between February 4–19, 2023, in Courchevel and Méribel, France, with great results. The location was named Trois Vallées – Three Valleys – the world’s largest contiguous piste system with 600 km of ski slopes and 157 ski lifts.
The women’s competitions were held in Méribel, while the men’s were held in Courchevel, making the situation difficult for us. The women’s team lived almost an hour away from the men, which caused several logistical problems during the competition. The weather graced the world’s best skiers, although there was an unusually low amount of snow on the slopes this year. During the 2 weeks, spectators and competitors could enjoy the uninterrupted sunshine.
The world championship kicked off with the number that is most dear to us, but it also happens to be the hardest and most complicated. Noa Szőllős, a young competitor of the NIVELCO Racing Team, celebrated her 20th birthday on February 3. Three days later, she got the prestigious 17th place in the super combined of the adult league.
The number mentioned above consists of downhill and slalom, for which only a few can qualify in the world championship, as it requires complex skills. Therefore, only the competitors that are among the most successful in both fast and technical numbers can start.
The next day, the Szőllős boys – considered seasoned in this competition – took to the starting line, and both managed to outperform their results two years earlier.
Barnabás Szőllős finished in the outstanding 11th place, earning valuable World Cup ranking points. This is the number in which Barnabás got 6th place at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Benjamin Szőllős improved multiple places after the fast number in the combined and finished in 19th place racing in the slalom. All three racers fulfilled their wish to be among the top 20 at the Alpine World Championship.
All in all, the whole team showed the world that competitors from a non-Alpine country can work their way into the world’s best skiers. The icing on the cake is that this is a family team where everyone contributes to making their mutual dream come true.
NOA
– The world championships this year have given me a huge opportunity to train with and race against the best in the world. The training days were priceless and irreplaceable and helped me much later in the season. The races were also extremely important, showing me where I stand and where I need to improve the most. I’m satisfied with my performance in the Alpine combined, and I was also happy with my GS run even though I sadly couldn’t finish it all the way down, but all in all, I learned a lot, and I feel more ready now to push myself further in the next season.
BENJI
– Looking back on the world championships, I’m very satisfied with my results and preparation during the last year. My goal was to be in my best shape for the world championships, and winning the giant slalom qualification race proves that I reached this goal. Unfortunately, I made a costly mistake at the giant slalom finals, which prevented me from comparing myself to the best in the world. Proving my form, I was on the way to qualifying myself easily for the slalom finals, but another mistake prevented me from finishing the final qualification.
BARNI
– After the Olympic games, the next biggest events are the world championships. They were held in Courchevel with blues skies and perfect conditions this year. It was an amazing experience. I enjoyed all the races. My best result was P11 in Alpine Combined, and I also had some good runs in the other races. Next season there won’t be any big events, so all the focus will be on World Cup races, trying to make it in the top 30 and score my first points. I didn’t have big expectations for the speed disciplines as I don’t consider myself a speed racer, but I’m happy that I could archive some good placements also at those events.
This World Championship was a glorious crescendo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the NIVELCO Racing Team. If somebody asked me in 2003 (the year Noa was born) how far I could go on my own in alpine skiing as a Hungarian competitor, I would not have thought, not even in my wildest dreams. Our competitors have been around the world. They successfully participated in many prominent international age-group competitions, and all three of them participated and won medals at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF). In fact, they are among the best in the adult field. They have competed in several European and World Cup competitions and world championships, and let’s not forget the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, where Barnabás finished sixth.
What will the next ten years bring? How far can we go on this path we have trodden so far? We will continue to tell you about it in detail in the NIVELCO Magazine.