Corinne Suter, the Swiss skier, joins the family of Swiss luxury watchmaker, Hublot
Corinne Suter: the 2021 World Downhill Champion is the Swiss star that everyone had been waiting for. She has managed to harness pressure by transforming her adrenaline into a driving force and turning her doubts into a strength that is greater than her. She has gained confidence in her abilities and knows that she can compete with the best; this has changed her perspective. She has found her equilibrium and became the world's best speed specialist. Today, she is joining the Hublot family. A unique combination of the watchmaker and the Queen of the downhill skiing.
“And one day, all your efforts turn into success! The first podiums bring confidence and that confidence brings podiums. I really felt that I was surrendering, that I was also having much more fun on my skis, I put much less pressure on myself and my first medals allowed me to convert those hundredths of seconds which were against me into success. Knowing that I can keep up and compete with the best, I feel liberated. Even though I am aware that the slate is wiped clean with each race, and that I always have to push my limits, I am now competing for and no longer against myself. I don't want to be faster than anyone else, I just want to improve for myself; I ski for myself and not against someone else. That mindset has changed everything. I transcend the race adrenalin and it transcends me. When I met Hublot, Ricardo and the teams, I again found that desire to surpass oneself, to make each watch, each new material, an opportunity to push new limits, because this is a brand that is competing for itself, not against itself or others. A family of athletes and media personalities united by the same desire to surpass themselves, again and again.”
Corinne Suter's story is the story of a favourite who became a speed specialist, by converting promising talent into success. They say success breeds success; above all, it is shaped by experiences and what you make of them. On the ski runs, it all comes down to tenths and hundredths of seconds, times that the queen of speed will now measure with Hublot stopwatches alongside the other skiers of the family - Dario Cologna, Tanguy Nef, Kjetil Jansrud.
“Hublot believes it is very important for members of our family to be inspirational and role models, so that their life journeys can motivate others to give their best. Corinne Suter is on such a journey and we love her life story. She has strength of character, authenticity and is incredibly likeable. As queen of the greatest downhill skiing discipline, she is now the best speed specialist in the world. I am certain that together we can produce the perfect performance.”
The tenths and hundredths of seconds that make history
People often remember the decisive day that changed the life of an athlete; yet the athlete did not pull that performance out of a hat! Their achievement was a rich journey patterned with success and failure. Corinne Suter’s very promising early career was followed by a succession of injuries, and then she underwent a renaissance, affirming her talent in 2019. The two medals – silver in the Downhill and bronze in the Super-G – which she won in Åre, took the pressure off; both the pressure she put on herself and the pressure of the World Cup tour which saw her as the long-awaited star. In 2020, Corinne, originally from Schwyz, won two speed awards (Downhill and Super-G), confirming her rise to power. With her first small crystal trophy, she became the first Swiss female skier to win the competition since Chantal Bournissen in 1991. Then, there was that classic run, on 13 February 2021, on one of the most tour's beautiful runs, the Olimpia delle Tofane in Cortina, where Corinne crossed the finishing line with nine tenths of a second advantage. She won her first world championship title, and gave Switzerland its first world title in downhill skiing since Maria Walliser in 1989. The long-awaited star confirmed her potential, and was crowned best speed specialist in 2021.
Her recipe for success
With no fear of either gradient or speed, her routine at the top of the run is now simpler: after the recce, she takes one look at the run to conserve all her energy and focus for the race. While adrenaline helps the athlete give her best, she now knows that races convert into podium results by managing the pressure she puts on herself and then surrendering.
