Urška Hrovat, Slovenia's biggest ski star in the 1990s, will remember these Christmas holidays not for the festivities but for burglars that broke into her house in Ljubljana and stole all her medals.

"Some Christmas present. It's as if a part of me has died," the 50-year-old told Delo newspaper in an interview published on 2 January.

A slalom specialist, Hrovat was a member of what is known as the golden generation of Slovenian women skiers in the first years after Slovenian independence in the 1990s, alongside Alenka Dovžan, Katja Koren and Špela Pretnar.

She has five World Cup wins to her name, second and third place in the slalom World Cup rankings, and a bronze medal from the 1996 World Championship.

She retired from skiing in 2001 and pursued a career in business, specializing in winter apparel.

Asked whether she had any wishes for the new year, Hrovat said: "First I'd like to get these medals back."