Quick Facts
Biography
Rok Petrovič listen (5 February 1966 – 16 September 1993) was a Yugoslav and Slovenian alpine skier.
Petrovič was born in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, the son of Krešimir Petrović, a well known sports psychologist of Croatian origin (His mother been from Vela Luka). His first success in alpine ski racing was the 1983 Junior World Championship slalom title in Sestriere, Italy.
After this he rapidly advanced up the world slalom rankings. In the 1985–86 Alpine Skiing World Cup season, he was practically unbeatable in slalom, his competition left to wait for rare mistakes in his highly aggressive and innovative skiing style. That season he won 5 races, is second in St. Anton, Austria and third in Geilo, Norway, easily winning the World Cup slalom title and becoming the first Yugoslav with a crystal globe.
After his championship-winning season, Petrovič was unable to recapture his winning form, the only hint of his championship season being a second place behind his teammate Bojan Križaj at the unforgettable race in Kranjska Gora next season. He finished eighth in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games giant slalom.
Due to his lack of winning results, he quit skiing in 1988 and began studies at the College of Sports in Ljubljana. He graduated in 1991 and continued with post-graduate study. He was to defend his M.Sc. thesis in the autumn of 1993, but shortly before defending his thesis he took a short break at the Croatian island Korčula and drowned in a diving accident.
Altogether he won 5 World Cup races, all in slalom and all in his champion season in 1985-86:
World Cup results
Season titles
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Slalom |
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 18 | 30 | 16 | 16 | — | — | — |
| 1986 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 7 | — | — | — |
| 1987 | 20 | 33 | 11 | 27 | — | — | — |
| 1988 | 21 | 69 | 26 | — | — | — | — |
| 1989 | 22 | 68 | 34 | 31 | — | — | — |
Race podiums
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 20 March 1985 |  Park City, United States | Slalom | 2nd |
| 1986 | 1 December 1985 |  Sestriere, Italy | Slalom | 1st |
| 21 December 1985 |  Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia | Slalom | 1st | |
| 25 January 1986 |  St. Anton, Austria | Slalom | 2nd | |
| 2 February 1986 |  Wengen, Switzerland | Slalom | 1st | |
| 25 February 1986 |  Lillehammer, Norway | Slalom | 1st | |
| 2 March 1986 | Geilo, Norway | Slalom | 3rd | |
| 11 March 1986 | Heavenly Valley, United States | Slalom | 1st | |
| 1987 | 20 December 1986 | Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia | Slalom | 2nd |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dražen Petrović | Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year 1986 | Succeeded by Bojan Križaj |