Fanny Smith Returns To Stockli
Stöckli is excited to announce that the outstanding Swiss ski cross athlete Fanny Smith is once again part of the Stöckli team. After two years, Smith will return to the brand for the upcoming 2024/25 winter season, where she had previously celebrated great successes.
"Welcome back, @fannysmith ! We are pleased to welcome Fanny Smith back to the Stöckli Ski family.
"As one of Switzerland's premier skicross athletes, Fanny has distinguished herself with remarkable achievements during her tenure with us, including securing two Olympic Bronze medals, earning three World Cup Overall titles, and capturing a World Championship victory.
"Now, after two years, she has returned, eager to race with Stöckli once again. Fanny, we can’t wait to see you back on Stöckli skis, conquering new heights. Let’s continue this journey together!"
With Fanny Smith’s return, Stöckli is making a strong statement for the future and further strengthening its position in international ski cross sports. She will race with the super agile Laser SX FIS ski, a perfect ski for fast and intense runs, steep curves, and big jumps—ideal for fighting for those crucial fractions of a second.
Fanny Smith on her return: “I am happy to be working with Stöckli again. My years with Stöckli were incredibly successful and formative for me. The family-like atmosphere and the individual support that Stöckli provides were decisive factors in my decision to return. I am looking forward to working with the team again and continuing my career at the highest level.”
Marc Gläser, CEO of Stöckli: “We warmly welcome Fanny Smith back to the Stöckli Racing Team! Her return is a significant step for both sides. It is a clear sign of the trust she places in our products and company. Her exceptional skills and tireless passion for skiing make her a valuable member of our team. We look forward to a successful future together.”
Fanny Smith (born 20 May 1992) is a Swiss freestyle skier. She represented Switzerland at the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympics. As of January 2023, she has 29 victories and 67 podiums on the World Cup circuit. She won gold at the World Championships in Voss in 2013. Smith won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Born in Aigle to an American father and an English mother, she was brought up in the Swiss ski resort of Villars. Smith has been skiing since the age of two. At the age of 14, she was selected into the Swiss National Educational Performance Center of Brig.
When she graduated in 2009, there was no Swiss junior ski cross program, so with the assistance of family and sponsors, Smith created her own program. Smith started to train with Guillaume Nantermod, the Boardercross World Champion. After their partnership immediately showed signs of success, they were integrated into the Swiss National Team.
At just 17 years old, Smith secured her first World Cup podium position with second place at the Lake Placid World Cup in January 2010. Her first win came a year later in Innichen/San Candido. She took two more second places in the 2010–11 season but fell and tore her anterior cruciate ligament, forcing her out of competition for 11 months.
She returned to competition aged 22 and dominated the 2012–13 season, winning the first three races of the year, taking four victories, on the podium in six out of the ten races, and won the Crystal Globe as the world's top-ranked ski cross racer. To top her return to ski cross, she took the gold medal at the World Championships in Voss, Norway.
The 2013–2014 season began well, with Smith securing second place in the first race in Nakiska. She won the title in Innichen and was beaten into second place in a photo finish in Kreischberg by Ophélie David. Smith finished in second place in the 2014 overall World Cup standings.
In the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Smith won the bronze medal in the women's ski cross competition.
2022 Winter Olympics bronze medal controversy
In the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Smith initially finished third place in the women's ski cross final and thought she had won the bronze medal. However, she was demoted to fourth place after receiving a yellow card as Smith was deemed to have moved her left ski directly into the line of her competitor, Daniela Maier of Germany, who finished fourth.
Nine days after the race, Smith was promoted to third place after a successful appeal with the International Ski Federation (FIS), which was reflected on the FIS website. The FIS stated that Smith should have been issued a warning instead of a yellow card.
Despite the publications in some media about awarding of Smith with a bronze medal as a result of the appeal, FIS has no right to decide on the return and redistribution of medals, as this issue is in the exclusive competence of the IOC, therefore, in its decision, the FIS Appeals Commission did not mention any words about the medals and their redistribution, and the IOC has the last word in this issue. On 13 December 2022 the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced an agreement to share the third place between Smith and Maier with two bronze medals allocated by the IOC
Stöckli Swiss Sports AG is the most successful ski manufacturer in Switzerland, both in terms of ski sales and active racing. The company operates ten sporting goods stores and two test centers in Switzerland and supplies the Swiss sports retail trade. Over 50% of the annual ski production is exported to more than 40 countries. The traditional company, founded in 1935 and headquartered in Malters (LU), is family-owned.
