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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1966-02-05)5 February 1966 |
| Died | 16 September 1993(1993-09-16) (aged 27) Vela Luka, Croatia |
| Occupation | Alpine skier |
| Sport | |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Giant slalom,slalom |
| World Cup debut | 10 December 1984 |
| Retired | 10 March 1989 |
| Olympics | |
| Medals | 0 (0 gold) |
| World Championships | |
| Medals | 0 (0 gold) |
| World Cup | |
| Seasons | 5 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Overall titles | 0 |
| Discipline titles | 1 |
Rok Petrovičlistenⓘ (5 February 1966 – 16 September 1993) was aYugoslav andSlovenian alpineskier.
Petrovič was born inLjubljana,Yugoslavia, the son of Zdenka Steiner andKrešimir Petrović, a well knownsports psychologist ofCroatian origin. His first success in alpine ski racing was the 1983 Junior World Championshipslalom title inSestriere, Italy.
After this he rapidly advanced up the world slalom rankings. In the 1985–86Alpine Skiing World Cup season, he was practically unbeatable in slalom, his competition left to wait for rare mistakes in his highly aggressive andinnovative skiing style.[clarify] That season he won 5 races, is second inSt. Anton, Austria and third inGeilo, Norway, easily winning the World Cupslalom title and becoming the firstYugoslav with a crystal globe.
After his championship-winning season, Petrovič was unable to recapture his winning form, the only hint of his championship season being a second place behind his teammateBojan Križaj at the unforgettable race inKranjska Gora next season. He finished eighth in the 1988Winter Olympic Gamesgiant slalom.
Due to his lack of winning results, he quit skiing in 1988 and began studies at the College of Sports in Ljubljana. He graduated in 1991 and continued with post-graduate study. He was to defend his M.Sc. thesis in the autumn of 1993, but shortly before defending his thesis he took a short break at the Croatian islandKorčula and drowned in a diving accident.
Altogether he won 5 World Cup races, all in slalom and all in his champion season in 1985-86:
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Slalom |
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 18 | 30 | 16 | 16 | — | — | — |
| 1986 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 7 | — | — | — |
| 1987 | 20 | 33 | 11 | 27 | — | — | — |
| 1988 | 21 | 69 | 26 | — | — | — | — |
| 1989 | 22 | 68 | 34 | 31 | — | — | — |
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 20 March 1985 |  Park City, United States | Slalom | 2nd |
| 1986 | 1 December 1985 |  Sestriere, Italy | Slalom | 1st |
| 21 December 1985 |  Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia | Slalom | 1st | |
| 25 January 1986 |  St. Anton, Austria | Slalom | 2nd | |
| 2 February 1986 |  Wengen, Switzerland | Slalom | 1st | |
| 25 February 1986 |  Lillehammer, Norway | Slalom | 1st | |
| 2 March 1986 | Geilo, Norway | Slalom | 3rd | |
| 11 March 1986 | Heavenly Valley, United States | Slalom | 1st | |
| 1987 | 20 December 1986 | Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia | Slalom | 2nd |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year 1986 | Succeeded by |
