Mitja Valenčič may have not ended his career the way he wished to, but he did get a standing ovation from the crowd. Many of his fans, colleagues and coaches came to Kranjska Gora to pay tribute his 17-year-long career as an Alpine skier.

However the 36-year-old Valenčič failed to make it to the finish line after making a mistake at one of the gates.

His first World Cup race happened in 1997 also in Kranjska Gora. He never won a spot on the podium, but came close in 2010 when he finished 4th in Zagreb. In the future Valenčič plans to coach young skiers. Meanwhile in Kranjska Gora today, Felix Neureuther of Germany won the slalom race. Second today in Kranjska Gora was another German, Fritz Dopfer, while third place went to Henrik Kristofersson from Norway.

All together Six Slovenians took part in today’s slalom event but all six failed to qualify for the final run.