Elisabeth GOERGL

The flying Austrian recorded her first win of her World Cup career in Maribor, Slovenia at the end of January, 2008, in the Giant Slalom and then went on to land her second in Borimo in the same discipline on the last day of the season.Five podium finishes in all throughout the campaign gave notice that at 26-years-old, the Kaffenburg native was finally ready to live up to her early hype as one of the leading lights of a rich new generation of Austrian stars.

Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo witnessed a positive second-place GS finish while the same result was achieved at St. Moritz in Switzerland to maintain the momentum through the latter part of the season.

It's been a burgeoning career curve for the slalom specialist who was a shining jewel through the junior ranks and made her first World Cup start in 2002, at Sestriere in Italy.

However, she really started to grab some headlines at the turn of January 2003 with a second-place finish in Bormio which was then followed by European Cup success in the Giant Slalom later that month at Abetone, in Italy.

Motivation and a strict work-ethic have always been the bubbly and gregarious Elisabeth's by-words and an attention to detail has involved close-season trips to New Zealand in search of the slopes to hone and improve her technique.

The 2004 season brought a further improvement in results, with two second places - both at Levi - and two third spots on the podium.

A levelling out in results followed through the first part of the 2005 season until Cortina d'Ampezzo once again provided the perfect tonic where a third in the Downhill was followed by the same finish in the Giant Slalom.

Another third, this time in the Downhill at Are in Sweden, supplied the perfect boost to close out the season.

However, 2007 did not provide the desired breakthrough as an injury kept her sidelined.

Things were to improve immensely the following year as she climbed on to the top of the podium at Maribor after a win the giant slalom.

The win in Slovenia was not only a personal triumph, but ended the queen of the GS season, Italian Denise Karbon's, four-race winning streak.

With confidence at an all-time high, she pushed Maria Riesch all the way in the Super-G and in a thrilling finale just failed to keep the momentum going to take a credible second in the discipline.

A modicum of satisfaction was, however, gained with victory in the final GS race of the year, at Bromio in Italy.

Off the circuit, Elisabeth eases the stresses and strains of competitive racing with meditative sessions of yoga and has a in-depth interest in all matters surrounding the aspects of well being in general.