Benjamin Raich moved up from 10th to 9th place in the Overall World Cup standings but one can have the feeling that he didn't really achieve his potential last season despite his two wins in giant slalom in Korea and Bormio. More than once, "Ben" was in the lead in first runs in slalom but he never managed to ski at his best in the second legs.

His 6th place in the final slalom standings, 230 points behind Norway's Kjetil Aamodt, doesn't really express his class and his possibilities.

The Austrian became skiing's newest teenage hero in January 1999, just two months before turning 20, when he won three races within ten days at Schladming, Flachau and Wengen. A five-time junior World Champion and winner of the 1998 Europacup standings, Benjamin Raich is considered the most talented young Austrian to come along in decades. He won his first races in impressive fashion and many are comparing him to Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark, considered as the greatest technical skier in World Cup history.

In 1999, Benjamin became the first skier since Alberto Tomba in 1995 to win in both technical events in the same season.

Raich led up to his incredible feat by finishing 4th and 3rd in the Kranjska Gora GS and slaloms. Then he clocked a disappointing 23rd fastest time in the first slalom run at Schladming. Taking all risks in the second leg, he set a new best time that was unbeatable as well as a sort of a "comback" record.

In Flachau, Benjamin beat Swiss World Champion Michael von Gruenigen and teammate Hermann Maier on his "hometurf" in front of 20, 000 spectators. He took second in Adelboden behind the "The Herminator" before soaring to the heights again on the treacherous slope at Wengen. An amazing series of results considering it was his first World Cup season. At the 99' Vail Worlds, the pressure of Raich's new fame caught up to him. He skied out in GS and was a disappointing 5th in slalom. But what a season!

Ski racing has been for years his main passion and this modest champion is working hard to set new records. An admirer of Marc Girardelli, the only five-time Overall World Cup champion, Benjamin enjoys all kinds of sports activities including rock climbing, mountain-biking and tennis. Bungee jumping is one of his favorite hobbies: he has a personal record of 94 meters. When he was 15, he attended the nearby ski-gymnasium in Stams to pursue commercial studies. At the age of 18, he dedicated himself completely to ski racing with the full support of his parents. His younger sister Carina, who is one year younger than him is also part of the national squad.

We will be seeing a lot of Ben Raich in the future.