# Kristaps Zvejnieks

Kristaps Zvejnieks (born 15 February 1992 in Riga) is an Alpine ski racer and inline Alpine slalom racer from Latvia. He competed for Latvia at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He competed in slalom and giant slalom and his best result was a 37th place in the slalom. He competes in FIS, CIT, EC and WC levels. He had his first World Cup start in Schladming on 24 January 2012.

## Alpine skiing career

He was born to Jana Zvejniece and Raivo Zvejnieks in Riga, Latvia, and grew up there. The closest ski area was in Sigulda, 60 km from his house. The biggest skiing slopes in Sigulda are Pilsētas trase, Kaķīškalns and Kordes trase, all more than 100 m above the sea level with a vertical drop of 80 – 90 m and length of 275 – 350 m. He began skiing at three and racing at eight. In his first race he finished in 6th place. He made his first start in a World Cup event during the 2012 World Cup season in the slalom at Schladming.

### 2008 season

Zvejnieks started his FIS career in Geilo, Norway, with a GS race on 6 December 2008, finishing in 65th position with 127.47 FIS points. Two days later, he finished the slalom in 31st position with start number 141, gaining 78.89 FIS points in his first slalom FIS race. In the whole season, Zvejnieks had 40 races and he achieved to 50.42 FIS points in slalom. This was the first season with his trainer, the former Austrian and Japanese Olympic coach, the Austrian Peter Prodinger. After his first FIS races he was added to the Latvia National ski A team.

### 2009 season

On 16 July 2008, during the last training run in Mölltaler Gletscher, Austria, Zvejnieks crashed badly and broke his leg (fibula and tibia). He was determined to get back to skis as soon as possible, but it was too early. On 3 February 2009, he broke the same leg again. After several operations and a long time recovering, he began skiing again back in Mölltaler Gletcher on 14 October 2009.

### 2010 season

Zvejnieks recorded his first FIS race podium and victory at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, in December with 39.10 FIS points. He qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics on 26 January. In Vancouver, he competed in giant slalom and slalom disciplines. In giant slalom he finished in 62nd position,. In slalom he was 37th with +11.97 seconds from the leader Giuliano Razzoli. He was one of the youngest athletes to perform in Alpine skiing when he turned 18 years old during the Olympics.

### 2011 season

Zvejnieks started with a podium in the Levi FIS race. He finished in third position with 33.66 FIS points. During the season he had 47 races.

### 2012 season

Zvejnieks started the 2012 season with 34.37 FIS points (567 in World ranking) in slalom. He made his first start in a World Cup slalom event at Schladming where he was disqualified for struggling a gate. Schladming seemed to be a turning point for Zvejnieks' success. He competed in many races and had great results. He moved down from 34.37 to 19.61 FIS Points in slalom at an Austrian Cup race in Gaal, where he finished 1st and 2nd in two-day races. He finished 1st in the German Junior race in Lenggries. At the end of the season he finished 2nd in the Norway National Championships with 14.55 FIS points. He finished season 2011/2012 on 16 April in Finland with 15.84 FIS Points in Slalom (156 in World ranking).

### 2013 season

In 2013 season Zvejnieks got his best FIS points, 12.41 (118 in World Ranking) in slalom discipline.

### 2014 season

Zvejnieks started in Sochi winter Olympics. He got his best place in giant slalom discipline (43 place), but got disqualified in Slalom after a mistake. He didn't make any improvements in FIS points list in Slalom, but he got better points in giant slalom discipline.

### 2015 season

In 2015 Zvejnieks started in 5 World Cup Slalom races, but did not qualify for Top 30. Zvejnieks got better FIS points in Slalom. For first he made his points up to 10.72 FIS points in FIS races in Chamonix, France, but in late 2015 season, in April, Zvejnieks made Latvia's best FIS points ever with moving up to 9.57 FIS points in Slalom, which gave him 66th place in World Ranking before 2016 season start.

### Other sports and achievements

Zvejnieks plays golf during summer time at GC Viesturi in Latvia. In May 2012, he started in the Ski & Golf World Championships in Zell am See, Austria, with the 4th best time in skiing. As a better skier than golf player, he finished in 15th place overall in the men's professional group.
He is overall winner of Latvian Cup 2008–2012, and Baltic Cup winner 2010–2012.
Zvejnieks was the inline Alpine slalom World Champion and World Cup overall winner in the 2012 Inline Alpine Slalom season.

## Inline Alpine slalom career

Zvejnieks started inline Alpine as a part of ski training in summer. As a Latvian with the biggest mountain of 312 m above sea level, it was a good part of physical and psychological training for summer. He started to attend international European races in the 2005 season. In 2008, he won his first European Cup in Smiltene, Latvia.

## Alpine skiing career results
### FIS points at the end of the season

| Season | Races in season | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
| 2008 | 40 | 50,42 | 86,89 | 72,97 | – | 104,55 |
| 2009 | 12 | 48,14 | 81.27 | 71,39 | – | 97,78 |
| 2010 | 41 | 38,99 | 57,54 | 60,55 | 72,53 | 115,25 |
| 2011 | 47 | 34,95 | 47,27 | 62,53 | 73,59 | 71,35 |
| 2012 | 47 | 15,84 | 31,49 | 58,59 | 69,62 | 42,04 |
| 2013 | 48 | 12,41 | 23,66 | 45,36 | 69,62 | 42,04 |
| 2014 | 43 | 12,41 | 16,85 | 45,36 | 83,25 | 62,65 |
| 2015 | 41 | 9,57 | 21,57 | 102,06 | 124,88 | 93,98 |

### Individual FIS races

* 39 podiums −26 slalom, 2 super combined, 11 giant slalom,
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Position | FIS points |
| 2010 | 20 Dec 2010 | Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 | 39,10 |
| 2010 | 19 Jan 2010 | Vratna, Slovakia | Slalom | 1 | 44,47 |
| 2011 | 27 Nov 2010 | Levi, Finland | Slalom | 3 | 33,66 |
| 2011 | 19 Dec 2010 | Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic | Giant slalom | 2 | 51,44 |
| 2011 | 20 Dec 2010 | Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 | 35,95 |
| 2011 | 7 Jan 2011 | Liptovska Teplicka, Slovakia | Giant slalom | 2 | 57,19 |
| 2012 | 20 Dec 2011 | Solda, Italia | Giant slalom | 3 | 37,32 |
| 2012 | 20 Jan 2012 | Hafjell Olympiabakken, Norway | Super combined | 2 | 47,80 |
| 2012 | 11 Feb 2012 | Lenggries, Germany | Slalom | 1 | 25,53 |
| 2012 | 12 Feb 2012 | Gaal, Austria | Slalom | 1 | 17,13 |
| 2012 | 25 Mar 2012 | Hafjell Olympiabakken, Norway | Slalom | 2 | 14,55 |
| 2013 | 25 Jan 2013 | Hafjell Olympiabakken, Norway | Super Combined | 2 | 52,21 |
| 2013 | 11 Feb 2013 | Wildhaus, Switzerland | Slalom | 3 | 15,61 |
| 2013 | 14 Feb 2013 | Schladming, Austria | Giant slalom | 2 | 22,36 |
| 2013 | 13 Mar 2013 | S. Valentino Alla Muta, Italia | Slalom | 3 | 22,51 |
| 2013 | 13 Mar 2013 | Vratna, Slovakia | Giant slalom | 2 | 34,95 |
| 2013 | 14 Mar 2013 | Vratna, Slovakia | Giant slalom | 1 | 31,83 |
| 2013 | 28 Mar 2013 | Jasna, Slovakia | Giant slalom | 3 | 31,90 |
| 2013 | 4 Apr 2013 | Kirovsk, Russia | Slalom | 3 | 11,30 |
| 2013 | 5 Apr 2013 | Kirovsk, Russia | Slalom | 2 | 13,51 |
| 2014 | 23 Nov 2013 | Ruka, Finland | Slalom | 2 | 22,97 |
| 2014 | 21 Mar 2014 | Suomu, Finland | Slalom | 2 | 16,92 |
| 2014 | 22 Mar 2014 | Suomu, Finland | Slalom | 1 | 14,99 |
| 2014 | 3 Apr 2014 | Polyarny Zori, Russia | Slalom | 3 | 14,82 |
| 2014 | 6 Apr 2014 | Polyarny Zori, Russia | Giant slalom | 2 | 14,35 |
| 2015 | 27 Nov 2014 | Pyha, Finland | Giant slalom | 3 | 26,58 |
| 2015 | 28 Nov 2014 | Pyhä, Finland | Slalom | 1 | 13,31 |
| 2015 | 29 Nov 2014 | Salla, Finland | Slalom | 1 | 16,37 |
| 2015 | 5 Jan 2015 | Chamonix, France | Slalom | 1 | 13,14 |
| 2015 | 6 Jan 2015 | Chamonix, France | Slalom | 3 | 17,42 |
| 2015 | 7 Jan 2015 | Chamonix, France | Slalom | 1 | 10,14 |
| 2015 | 8 Jan 2015 | Chamonix, France | Slalom | 1 | 11,30 |
| 2015 | 20 Mar 2015 | Pyhä, Finland | Slalom | 2 | 17,47 |
| 2015 | 21 Mar 2015 | Pyhä, Finland | Slalom | 1 | 18,38 |
| 2015 | 30 Mar 2015 | Kouty, Czech Republic | Slalom | 3 | 15,52 |
| 2015 | 3 Apr 2015 | Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic | Giant slalom | 1 | 19,28 |
| 2015 | 9 Apr 2015 | Polyarny Zory, Russia | Slalom | 1 | 9,00 |
| 2015 | 10 Apr 2015 | Polyarny Zory, Russia | Slalom | 2 | 17,05 |
| 2015 | 11 Apr 2015 | Polyarny Zory, Russia | Giant slalom | 3 | 23,86 |

## Inline Alpine slalom career results
### World Cup races

* 32 races – 15 podiums,
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Position |
| 2011 | 5 Jun 2011 | Genoa, Italia | Slalom | DNS |
| 2011 | 3 Jul 2011 | Degmarn, Germany | Slalom | 5 |
| 2011 | 9 Jul 2011 | Tuttlingen, Germany | Slalom | DNS |
| 2011 | 13 Aug 2011 | Neukirchen, Austria | Slalom | DNS |
| 2011 | 28 Aug 20111 | Turnov, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 |
| 2011 | 11 Sep 2011 | Nemcicky, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 |
| 2012 | 17 Jun 2012 | Turnov, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 Jul 2012 | Degmarn, Germany | Slalom | 5 |
| 2012 | 15 Jul 2012 | Sigulda, Latvia | Slalom | 2 |
| 2012 | 18 Aug 2012 | Chammunster, Germany | Giant slalom | DNQ2 |
| 2012 | 19 Aug 2012 | Chammunster, Germany | Slalom | 1 |
| 2012 | 8 Sep 2012 | Stenenbronn, Germany | Slalom | 2 |
| 2013 | 2 Jun 2013 | Genova, Italy | Slalom | 1 |
| 2013 | 9 Jun 2013 | Oberhundem, Germany | Slalom | 1 |
| 2013 | 23 Jun 2013 | Jirkov, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 |
| 2013 | 13 Jul 2013 | Tuttlingen, Germany | Slalom | 1 |
| 2013 | 11 Aug 2013 | Uttendorf, Austria | Slalom | DNF |
| 2013 | 8 Sep 2013 | Nemcicky, Czech Republic | Slalom | 16 |
| 2014 | 17 May 2014 | Steinenbron, Germany | Slalom | DNS |
| 2014 | 6 Jun 2014 | Turnov, Czech Republic | Slalom | DNS |
| 2014 | 22 Jun 2014 | Jirkov, Czech Republic | Slalom | DNS |
| 2014 | 6 Jul 2014 | Degmarn, Germany | Slalom | 2 |
| 2014 | 11 Sep 2014 | Oberhundem, Germany | Giant slalom | 12 |
| 2014 | 14 Sep 2014 | Oberhundem, Germany | Slalom | 2 |
| 2015 | 21 Jun 2015 | Jirkov, Czech Republic | Slalom | DNS |
| 2015 | 26 Jul 2015 | Pisogne, Italy | Slalom | DNF |
| 2015 | 18 Aug 2015 | Villablino, Spain | Slalom | 2 |
| 2015 | 23 Aug 2015 | Bramberg, Austria | Slalom | DNS |
| 2015 | 5 Sep 2015 | Nemcicky, Czech Republic | Slalom | DNF |
| 2016 | 5 Jun 2015 | Unterensingen, Germany | Slalom | 3 |
| 2016 | 19 Jun 2015 | Turnov, Czech Republic | Slalom | 1 |
| 2016 | 26 Jun 2015 | Jirkov, Czech Republic | Slalom | DNS |

### Inline Alpine slalom season standings

| Season | WC races | Podiums | Overall |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | 38 |
| 2011 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2012 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 2013 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 2014 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | 12 |