Marc Girardelli is the only skier who has won the overall World Cup five times so far. The Vorarlberg native talks in an interview about Marcel Hirscher, the crisis in young talent, and the question of whether he will become the president of the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV).
Marcel Hirscher is on track to equal your record - five overall World Cup victories - this year. Does that hurt? Marc Girardelli: No. On the contrary: I am a great admirer of Marcel. I was already before he won because I saw what an incredible talent he has. Although he was too aggressive at the beginning of his career. He had to shed his horns first. If the coaches had already taught him the tactical things back then, he probably would have seven overall World Cup victories. This season, with only two podium finishes in the Super-G, including one win, he also had to rescue the ÖSV speed team. Behind Hirscher, there is a lack of young talent - why do so few young skiers push to the top? Marc Girardelli: I don't think it's due to training, but rather to the inner attitude. It could be that some racers rely too much on the competence of the coaches and do too little themselves. Perhaps they are somewhat "overorganized." I believe that life in training is made too easy for them over months. This leads to a loss of independence. It could be a reason because the only thing that sets a Hirscher apart is that he does a lot on his own. An athlete like him simply thinks differently than the rest. How does that manifest? Marc Girardelli: I spoke with him a week before the World Cup start in Sölden once. I was surprised by how open and accessible he was. A few weeks later in Alta Badia during the giant slalom, I met him again after the race - he was a different person. So focused and in a tunnel that he wouldn't even have noticed Jesus Christ standing next to him. A determination that I only knew from Ingemar Stenmark. Recently, ÖSV President Peter Schröcksnadel also criticized the performance of the downhill team and mentioned equipment as a possible cause. Marc Girardelli: That really can't be it. For a simple reason: For years, a certain Toni Giger, formerly head coach (now ÖSV research leader, note), has been busy testing and using technological innovations first. Either Toni Giger . . . how should I put it (thinks for a long time) . . . either he is incompetent or he is intentionally doing it wrong. Because to test material with a team of scientists daily for years and then come up with the excuse of being disadvantaged by the material, well, one can only be incompetent or doing it intentionally. There is no third possibility. You are defending the racers. Marc Girardelli: Definitely. I am also sure that they have top material. Why shouldn't they have it when they have dominated everything in the years before? What stands out - and you and your father were somewhat of a role model for this: Small, often family-like, highly professional teams are more successful than large, sluggish national teams. This can be seen with Hirscher, Tina Maze, the Kostelic family, Lindsey Vonn, and even Lara Gut and Anna Fenninger were more individualists. Are these more promising structures? Marc Girardelli: I don't believe so. I have always longed to train in a larger team because motivation is higher when you can measure yourself against someone. The team as a benchmark? Marc Girardelli: Yes, in principle, skiing is an individual sport. But it requires a good mix of team and individual training to gather as much diverse information as possible. One coach sees this, the other that, the father something else - but none everything. If a skier is open enough, he gathers as much information as possible from where he can get it. Whether from his own team or from the opponent. That's how I did it anyway. How specifically? Marc Girardelli: I always stood next to the Swiss or Austrians in the starting area - with eyes closed to concentrate, but ears open to listen to their radio messages to get information about the temperature conditions along the course. I only had one man on the course. He could maybe see and measure 300 meters, but 500 meters further up and down at the finish, the conditions were completely different. I got this information from the Austrians or Swiss - they never noticed. What do you think of the attempts to bring more races to the cities? Marc Girardelli: City races are very attractive if done right. It is important to bring the athletes close to the audience with a relatively simple race. A race in Paris, for example, would be a hit. Could you imagine becoming the ÖSV President? Marc Girardelli: ÖSV President? I think then the racers would have a tough life (laughs). More information about Marc Girardelli can be found here.
