Alpine Skiing
Leona Popovic
- Slalom
- Nationality
- Croatia
- Hometown
- Mrkopalj, Croatia
- Born
- 13 November 1997
- Turned pro
- 2015
- Primary discipline
- Slalom
About Leona Popovic
Croatian World Cup alpine ski racer specializing in slalom, born 13 November 1997; competed across all disciplines early in her career but now focuses on slalom, racing for SK Rijeka out of Mrkopalj. Made her first major championship appearance at the 2015 World Championships in Beaver Creek (best result 27th, slalom) at age seventeen. By her 22nd birthday she had undergone three surgeries on her left leg: a broken tibia sustained training slalom in 2015, and torn ACL/MCL ligaments from a giant slalom crash at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics (where she also made her Olympic debut, DNF). Returned for the 2022 Beijing Olympics (23rd, slalom). Recorded two World Cup slalom runner-up finishes - at Levi, Finland (12 November 2023) and Soldeu, Andorra (18 March 2023) - her best career results to date.
FIS Code 385096; FIS competitorid 187064; residence Mrkopalj, Croatia.
Sponsors: Voelkl (skis) and Dalbello (boots) - per FIS official athlete biography (manufacturer-updated equipment fields), with Leki (poles) also matching between FIS and her own Instagram bio, which additionally self-reports Marker (bindings) and Generali Group (financial sponsor, not equipment). The Marker binding claim is sourced only from her self-reported Instagram bio (a lower-tier source than an official federation/brand page), but is treated as reasonably reliable here because the same Instagram bio matched FIS's official ski/boot/pole fields exactly on the other three items.
Setup
4 items
Skis
Völkl
Popovic's ski brand (Voelkl) confirmed via FIS official athlete biography ('Skis: Voelkl'), matching her self-reported Instagram bio.
Freestyle/park ski.
Boots
Dalbello DRS World Cup
Popovic's boot brand (Dalbello) confirmed via FIS official athlete biography ('Boots: Dalbello'), matching her self-reported Instagram bio.
Elite World Cup race boot line, 93mm race last, two-piece Overlap Design construction
Bindings
Marker
Popovic's binding brand (Marker) sourced only from her self-reported Instagram bio - a lower-tier source than an official federation/brand page - but treated as reasonably reliable since the same bio matched FIS's official ski/boot/pole fields exactly on three other items.
Freeride/park binding.
Poles
Leki
Popovic's pole brand (Leki) confirmed via FIS official athlete biography ('Poles: Leki'), matching her self-reported Instagram bio.
Race-stock alpine pole used by Leki-sponsored World Cup athletes
Setup verified 10 July 2026