He was one of Ingemar Stenmark’s biggest rivals.
But also closest friends.
This is how the icon Bojan Krizaj lives today.
If you looked at Ingemar Stenmark during his career, you should also remember a certain Bojan Krizaj. He quickly emerged as one of the Swedish superstar’s greatest rivals, but that was not the only reason so many Swedish eyes were turned towards him.
Close friends
Stenmark and Krizaj had an almost unique relationship besides all the rides. They were bitter rivals, but as soon as the races were over, Stenmark and the Slovenian were very close friends. Krizaj has said in retrospect that it was a wonderful time, and he still speaks fondly of the friendship.
Krizaj was close to the entire Swedish team, something he doesn’t think would have been possible today. One reason for the friendship with Stenmark was that both skied with Elan skis.
– I was closest to Ingemar, perhaps due to the fact that we both skied from Elan. It brought us extra close to each other. We got a lot of training time together, he said in an interview with Aftonbladet about ten years ago.
He does that today
In Sweden, time literally stopped every time Stenmark went, and it was the same with Krizaj. With his unique style, often without both a cap and ski goggles, he became a national hero in the former Yugoslavia. However, Krizaj struggled to perform in major championships, and there were never any Olympic medals, and only one World Cup medal. However, there were a total of eight World Cup wins, and 33 podium places over twelve seasons. In 1988, he ended his career, but did not leave his skis for it. He worked for a long time for the ski manufacturer Elan, and in 2006 he joined the Slovenian Ski Association. Today he is 65 years old and retired.
Bojan Krizaj is rarely seen in the media, as he believes that he has “already done his part”, but this winter he will take part in TV4’s new documentary about Ingemar Stenmark. And even though he retired many, many years ago, he is still a national hero.
– People still remember me. After so many years, I still get stopped on the street. It’s a good feeling, he said in an interview in Slovenia a few years ago.
He still follows the alpine closely, and even though he is fully retired, there is still a lot of skiing.
– 60 days per season approximately. Not bad for someone my age, he says.
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