Eurosport's Future Stars for 2016: Roberto Nani

Nominated by Eurosport alpine skiing commentator Alexandre Pasteur, who said: “At 27 years of age, Roberto Nani is still waiting for his breakthrough season, but his results don’t yet show the true extent of his talent. The Italian has achieved 13 top-10 finishes in giant slalom, his favourite discipline, but is yet to force his way into the top three due to the phenomenal level of competition which comes from three ‘monsters’ who have dominated the discipline over the years: Ligety, Hirscher and Pinturault.

“However, I believe he is capable of breaking onto the podium and even winning events this winter, provided he can develop his mental approach. Standing at 1m75 (5ft 7in) Nani is of modest height and his very low centre of gravity allows him to sit deep in the turns whilst maintaining good contact with the snow. His technique and explosiveness allow him to be completely at ease on the fast, steep sections as well as in icy conditions.

“At Sölden on October 25, at the very start of the season, Nani had the best result of his career by finishing fourth. I think he could go on to shine on the ultra-technical giant slalom slope of Adelboden and he should not be written off at home in Alta Badia where the course suits him perfectly. To achieve his objective, however, he must climb up the rankings in order to have a better starting position and therefore better conditions to compete in.”