Loïc
Meillard
Switzerland
·
Alpine Skiing
Date of birth | 29 October 1996 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Neuchâtel |
Age | 29 |
Nationality | Switzerland |
Career start | 2015 |
Disciplines | Alpine Skiing Combined / Alpine Skiing Giantslalom / Alpine Skiing Super G / Alpine Skiing Slalom |
Loïc Meillard’s day should have 25 hours – that’s how much he has to do: mountain biking, hiking, bivouacking, travelling, taking photos, filming and skiing, of course. Fortunately, he’s very fast in everything he does, so he can complete all his tasks in 24 hours with a smile.
Loïc was 12 years old when his parents moved from Neuchâtel to Val d’Hérens, in the Swiss canton of Valais, so that he and his sister Mélanie could have more time to ski. Experts put his unique talent for skiing down to his experience of training on race-ready slopes and all those years of skiing with his father in difficult conditions and on very different types of terrain. Touring and powder skiing are as familiar to him as giant slalom and icy steep slopes.
From Junior champ to World Cup winner
After two Junior World Championships gold medals in 2017, Loïc got his breakthrough in 2018 at the World Cup in Saalbach, Austria, securing two second places in two consecutive days in Giant Slalom and Slalom. During the 2019-20 season, he proved his versatility and scored his first top 10 placing in Super-G. That same season, he also won his first World Cup race at the Parallel Giant Slalom in Chamonix, France. Then, in 2021, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, he won his first two World Championship medals in Alpine Skiing combined and Parallel Slalom.
In 2022, Loïc competed in the 2022 Beijing Games. From 2022 to 2023, he added eight more podium finishes to his collection for FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup events. His streak continued into 2024 with six podium finishes, two being first place wins, before picking up World Championship gold in the team combined event alongside Franjo von Allmen in 2025.
Loïc won his second world title and became the first Swiss skier in 75 years to take gold in the men’s slalom at the 2025 World Championships. This victory was his third medal of the week after winning the team combined with Franjo von Allmen and placing third in the giant slalom. Just weeks later he added second overall in the slalom World Cup standings and third in the overall World Cup points to his achievements for the season.
A medal of each colour in Milan
Just a few months after his historic world champs triumph, Loïc was back making history at the Milano-Cortina Games, where he claimed three medals in brilliant few days of racing – one of each colour.
The highlight was a sensational gold in the slalom, meaning that Loïc is one of the rare skiers to hold both world and Olympic titles at the same time, but he also scored silver in the Men's Combined with partner Marco Odermatt and a bronze in GS to complete the collection.
Many people have high expectations of what he can achieve, but that doesn’t bother Loïc at all. Whether he’s standing in the start gate of an event or just about to embark on a big training session on fresh powder, he's just looking forward to his next descent.
World and Olympic slalom champion Loïc Meillard
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Carving through the turns at Schladming's famous night slalom
© Johann Groder/Red Bull Content Pool
Perfect from from the champ on his way to the world title
© Johann Groder/Red Bull Content Pool
Few skiers look as erfect on the slope as Loïc Meillard
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool