Coach Livio Magoni worked for five long years as the coach of our skier Petra Vlhová. They ended their cooperation in April 2021. At that time, Vlhová achieved her greatest successes, including the gain of a large crystal globe for the overall championship in the World Cup. At the beginning of 2024, the turning point came when Petra unfortunately fell on the slope and caused an injury that disabled her for two years. Her former coach has now revealed to the website what he thinks about her current performances.
Vlhová started again not long ago. It happened at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo. First, she did not finish the slalom as part of the team combination. In the special slalom, in which she defended the gold from Beijing, she took 20th place.
It is very difficult for Magoni to evaluate her performance. “I didn’t have any detailed information about her current condition or how exactly she approached the race itself. In any case, it was obvious that it was an extremely difficult return. After such a long break, it was to be expected that Petra will not have the necessary racing pace and rhythm, which simply cannot be trained without regular competitionand,” he said honestly.
He considers Petra’s return to the slope to be a very nice moment. “You have to appreciate him, but we all knew that it would be extremely difficult to get back to the very top. Whether she manages to reach her top form again depends mainly on her mental attitude and especially on motivation. It is the inner desire and determination that will be the decisive factors,” he revealed, which he believes will weigh.
However, he did not see anything positive in the ride. “Honestly, unfortunately not. I haven’t seen any elements in her performances so far that would indicate a return to her former dominant form,” he didn’t walk around hot mess.
He is clear on what he would focus on first if he was still part of her team. “I would first of all start by building confidence in her own abilities. Subsequently, I would focus on the precision of crossing the goals, technical purity and stability. It is very important that her ride seems solid, sure and without unnecessary mistakes,” he added.
They never talked with Vlhová about the age at which she should quit. “Petra is a champion and real champions know very well when the right moment comes to end their career,” he declared. It was after injuring the ligaments in her knee that many thought it would be the end of her career. However, Vlhová did not give up and worked hard on herself. After the operation, she immediately started training under the supervision of experts.
At the end, Magoni dedicated strong words to Petra. “In order to remain professional, she found a strong inner motivation and, of course, I wish her the best of luck! At the same time, I would like to tell the people of Slovakia that I left a piece of my heart in your country.” concluded.
