As a three-time winner this season, Werner Schlegel is one of the favorites at the anniversary wrestling festival in Appenzell - also thanks to painful defeats, as he says in an interview with Keystone-SDA.
It is a rare sight for the 6,000 spectators in the arena in Werdenberg on the morning of May 26. Werner Schlegel is lying on his back in the sawdust, surrounded by Benjamin Gapany from south-western Switzerland. It is the first defeat of the season for the 21-year-old from Toggenburg. And it will be the last for a long time.
Werner Schlegel, how upset were you about losing to Benjamin Gapany in the first round of the 109th St. Gallen Kantonalschwingfest?
"Extremely so. I won all the rounds afterwards, but still didn't make it into the final round. That wasn't just because I lost at the start, but also because I didn't have the right throws. I ruined my own possible victory in the final round. But yes, the defeat was upsetting, especially as the home festival is always something special. But sometimes it's good to get hit on the roof. The next time I went into the sawdust with a different attitude, I was tougher."
You already hinted at your potential last season, but have taken another step forward this year. How do you explain your explosion in performance?
"I don't really see it as an explosion. As I said, last year was already pretty good. I just kept having to battle with minor injuries. I trained well in preparation for this season and then got into a good run. The more you swing, the more you get a feel for it."
What do you mean exactly?
"Swings can be made with power or intuitively, out of reflex. As you get a feel for it, you often manage to use the right reflexes intuitively, for example to use your opponent's swing without using a lot of strength."
Was there a moment this season when it "clicked"?
"No, there wasn't one. I've always known that I can beat any opponent if everything comes together. Every opponent has a back."
The comparisons with Abderhalden
189 centimeters "small", 112 kilograms "light". Werner Schlegel is neither the tallest nor the heaviest wrestler. Rather, the trained carpenter impresses with his skillful defensive work and variable attacking swings, technical diversity. He makes up for his physical disadvantages compared to the other top wrestlers with "farmer's cunning" and a feel for the right moment.
Jörg Abderhalden was also not the biggest physically. Like Schlegel, he also comes from Toggenburg. Both are members of the Wattwil wrestling club. Both won their first wreath at the age of 16. Both have collected roughly the same number of wreaths up to the age of 22 - Abderhalden 36, Schlegel 34. Parallels that suggest a comparison, even if one is a three-time wrestling king and winner of Unspunnen and Kilchberg and the other is still at the beginning of his career at the age of 21.
Do the comparisons with Jörg Abderhalden annoy you - or is there something to them in your eyes too?
"The comparisons don't annoy me. Rather, it's an honor to be compared with the greatest wrestler of all time. And yes, there are certain parallels, even I've noticed that."
Which ones?
"In addition to his background, career and physical abilities, there are similarities in the way he swings. Technical versatility was one of Jörg's strengths and it's also one of mine. Whether swinging on the ground, swinging from a standing position with turns to the left and right - the repertoire is vast. Jörg always gives me tips and we regularly exchange ideas. But I don't want to be a mini-Abderhalden, I want to develop my own swinging style and go my own way."
There is great solidarity in north-eastern Switzerland. How important is Samuel Giger as a driving force for the team and for you personally?
"Sämi is very important. On the one hand, he helps the team just through his presence and the corresponding results in the competition. But even more important is that we can compete with him day after day in training and grow with him. Having such strong sparring partners is great and helps you progress. Sämi is an absolute stroke of luck for us."
The highlight of the season on the doorstep
At 21, Werner Schlegel is almost five years younger than Giger. His palmarès is already adorned with eight wreath victories, including one mountain festival victory and three triumphs at sub-association festivals. Schlegel subordinates everything to sport. Since graduating from recruit school, the man from eastern Switzerland no longer works in his trained profession as a carpenter, but instead helps out on his parents' farm and also lends a hand on his cousin's farm. Schlegel cites greater flexibility as the main reason. He puts his workload at around 60 to 80 percent, depending on the week.
"If I really want something, then I'm prepared to give it my all": what's behind this quote, which is prominently displayed on your website?
"The quote reflects me pretty well. I have a thick head. If I want something badly enough, I'll go for it, whatever the cost. It's mainly my environment that suffers because I don't have much free time."
On the other hand, there is success, which has not been neglected this season in particular. The highlight of the season is now coming up with the anniversary wrestling festival in Appenzell. The festival is practically on your doorstep. It is less than 25 kilometers from your home in Hemberg to the festival grounds. You belong to the extended circle of favorites. It's all set.
"I don't want to put any pressure on myself and I haven't set myself a target, I just want to take it one course at a time and put on a good festival. The competition is fierce."
What significance does the festival have for you? Can it be compared to the Swiss Nationals, Unspunnen or Kilchberger?
"The festival has a federal character and is correspondingly strong. It lacks the traditional feel of Unspunnen or Kilchberger, for example. And it's also not comparable to the Confederation. Rather, it is something unique, and that is what makes it so special. At the next anniversary wrestling festival, no one who is actively involved now will still be wrestling."
Werner Schlegel, what goals would you still like to achieve in wrestling?
"I want to continue wrestling at the level I'm currently at for many years to come, to be among the front runners at federal events and then maybe win one of them. But there's still a long way to go until then."
Who knows, perhaps the defeats against Fabian Staudenmann and Severin Schwander on the Schwägalp - the first since the one in the Anschwingen at the St. Gallen Cantonal Championships - came at the right time.
