Skier Lara Kolturi is delivering outstanding performances with Albania, achieving significant results for the red and black colors, in a sport where our country has historically had modest success. The 17-year-old Italian, who represents our National Team, has made historic achievements for the Albanian Ski Federation by qualifying for the giant slalom and slalom finals, finishing 23rd and 25th respectively in the qualifiers held in Are, Sweden. Kolturi will now test her skills in the upcoming weekend finals, hoping to further improve her results.

Lara has expressed great happiness with her performance, stating to the Swiss Albanian newspaper “Le Canton27.ch”: “They consider me a new legend, but I am still very young. Yes, of course, I am thrilled with the recent successes in international competitions. I will not rest; I will continue to raise my level in the field…”. Additionally, Lara Kolturi made a promise: “I have my whole future ahead of me, as I am still young. I will prove myself, and I will do my best for the country I represent. I will do everything possible to properly represent Albania on the international stage,” stated the talented skier.

Meanwhile, the president of the Albanian Ski Federation, Elvis Toçi, also commented on Lara, drawing a comparison with Albanian football stars: “If Xhaka and Shaqiri make us proud with the Swiss flag, why shouldn’t Lara make us proud with the Albanian flag?! We are proud that today we have two Laras speaking Albanian in the World Cup,” Toçi said, emphasizing later that with these results, Lara Kolturi will also be a competitor in the 2026 Olympic Games.

/k.s/