Alpine Skiing

After a 17-year FIS Alpine Ski World Cup career, Norwegian ski champion Aksel Lund Svindal took part in his very last race today at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Are 2019, finishing second in the much-anticipated Downhill race.

Personifying Longines’ sporting elegance since 2007, Aksel Lund Svindal completed 386 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races to date and celebrated 36 victories. His greatest achievements include winning the 2006/07 and 2008/09 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup overall titles, claiming five gold medals at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and Olympic gold in the 2010 Super-G and downhill gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

As the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the FIS, Longines was proud to provide its timekeeping expertise to the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel this weekend, and to time the great victories of Dominik Paris (ITA) in the Downhill, Noël Clément (FRA) in the Slalom and Josef Ferstl (GER) in the Super G races.

The legendary Lauberhorn race in Wengen is the oldest and perhaps the most difficult of the classic races to win. Longines was proud to be part of this world-class event as its Official Partner and Timekeeper and to present an elegant timepiece to the winners of the three trials of the weekend: Austria’s Marco Schwarz (alpine combined) and Vincent Kriechmayr (downhill), as well as France’s Clément Noël (slalom).

Swiss watch brand Longines is proud to officially welcome ski racers and Swiss siblings Mélanie and Loïc Meillard in its Family. The athletes were notably awarded this year the Longines Rising Ski Stars Prize as the best female skier (under 21) and the best male skier (under 23) of the 2017/2018 World Cup season respectively.

Despite a knee injury, which has kept her off the slopes since February 2018, Mélanie Meillard had an outstanding 2017/2018 season, with a third place in the City Event in Oslo (Norway), and placed ten times in the top-10 during the World Cup. During the last season, triple Junior World Champion Loïc Meillard finished amongst the 10 best skiers in seven of his World Cup races. In the current season, he achieved his two best results in World Cup in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, as he stepped onto the second step of podium, both in slalom and giant slalom.

This new collaboration echoes Longines’ long lasting involvement in alpine skiing, as the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the FIS. By welcoming Mélanie and Loïc Meillard in the prestigious Longines Family, the winged hourglass brand strengthens its support to the champions of tomorrow.%break%About the Longines Rising Ski Stars Prize

The Swiss watch brand Longines was delighted to welcome today in Saint-Imier the winners of the 2018 Longines Rising Ski Stars Mélanie and Loïc Meillard for a visit of the company’s headquarters.  Accompanied by Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli, the Swiss siblings and world-class skiers had the opportunity to discover the various stages of the exciting process of the production of a Longines watch, as well as the brand’s museum, which retraces the brand's fascinating history through the ages.

Proudly wearing a Conquest Saint-Moritz model awarded by Longines in recognition of her 2018 Longines Rising Ski Stars title, Mélanie commented: “After winning the Longines Rising Ski Stars prize at the end of the last FIS Alpine World Cup, it was obvious that we wanted to know more about this emblematic company, deeply established in our region.”  And Loïc added: "Now that this is done, we can say that we are very impressed by the rich history of the brand. Like Longines, we are proud to represent this region on an international level.”%break%About the Longines Rising Ski Stars

Awarded for the first time at the end of the 2012/2013 alpine skiing season,  the “Longines Rising Ski Stars” prize is presented to the best young female skier (under 21 years old) and male skier (under 23 years old) taking part in the FIS Alpine World Cup. The prize consists of a trophy, a Longines watch and a check of 20’000 CHF.

Bringing together the season’s top-25 male and female skiers in each discipline, the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals are taking place this year in the Scandinavian ski resort of Åre, Sweden, which will also host the next FIS Alpine Ski World Championships – both event supported by Longines as the Official Partner and Timekeeper. On the occasion of the Finals, the Swiss watch brand celebrated the conclusion of the season by awarding the Longines Rising Ski Stars Prize. This year, it was a family-shared recognition, as Swiss siblings Mélanie and Loïc Meillard have distinguished themselves as the best female skier (under 21) and the best male skier (under 23) of the 2017/2018 World Cup season.

For Mélanie Meillard, 2018 started off well as she claimed her first podium in the FIS Alpine World Cup, finishing third in the City Event in Oslo, Norway. With a total of 431 points at the end of the season, ahead of Katharina Gallhuber (AUT) with 303 points and Katharina Liensberger with 206 points, Mélanie finished ten times in the top-10 in World Cup races. With a score of 299 points at the end of the season, triple Junior World Champion Loïc Meillard had a very good season as well, being amongst the 10 best skiers at five of his World Cup races. Following the Ladies’ slalom race, Loïc Meillard was presented with a Longines timepiece, as well as a trophy and a cheque, from the hands of Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli and Casper Gebeke, of Longines Sweden. His sister Melanie, who did not participate in the finals due to an injury, was represented by Jérôme Krieg from Swiss-Ski, who received the coveted recognition on her behalf.