blue Sport reporter Linus Hämmerli doesn't want to go into the sawdust with Bernese wrestler Fabian Staudenmann - it's too dangerous. He prefers to lift weights with the powerhouse in the gym.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Fabian Staudenmann is one of the big favorites to win the 2025 Swiss Wrestling Festival in Mollis GL.
- blue Sport met the top wrestler before the start of the wreath festival season and completed a training session with him.
- In the interview, Staudenmann makes an initial assessment.
Fabian Staudenmann is a top-class wrestler. Sawdust on his back? He rarely experiences that. The 25-year-old Bernese wrestler screws opponent after opponent into the fine wood shavings. His palmares include 57 wreaths and victories at the Kilchberg and Swiss jubilee wrestling festivals.
Staudenmann blue Sport greets his strength training with the words: "Something easy today." He then straps 32 kilograms of extra weight around his hips and pulls himself up the pull-up bar several times. Impressive.
During training, he mainly focuses on complex rather than isolated movements. This means that several joints and muscle groups work simultaneously. Enormous forces are at play for Staudenmann. When training with the barbell, he often has to lift over 200 kilograms.
The well-trained 120-kilo man makes the pull-ups look easy, even on the third set. But he does have to bite a little towards the end. After all. There are words of motivation from Adrian Walther. Staudenmann completes many training sessions together with him. "It's more fun as a pair," he says of his training colleague, who, together with Staudenmann, is one of the top contenders at the Swiss Wrestling Festival (ESAF) in Mollis GL.
Staudenmann is in form: "Wood the length of an eel"
In the 2025 wrestling year, Staudenmann is subordinating everything to the ESAF. Eight years after winning his first wreath in May 2017, Staudenmann wants to crown his career with the title of king. "All in all, my form is right," says Staudenmann ahead of the start of the wreath festival season.
The two-time Swiss champion is satisfied with his winter training. "Holz aalänge," he says, tapping his head twice with his fist. He gets through the cold season in good health and without any long forced breaks. The first wrestling festivals? "A few better, a few worse." That's normal, Staudenmann emphasizes. "If things don't go as planned, I don't hang my head. It's a chance to work on them specifically."
Up to twelve training sessions per week
When he's not at school, he's lifting weights in the gym or honing his technique in the wrestling room. The part-time mathematics student completes eight to twelve training sessions a week. Athletics training takes place every day from Monday to Saturday, three of them under the guidance of wrestling king Matthias Glarner (2016 victory in Estavayer-Le-Lac). He also competes in the sawdust on four evenings. He has reduced his study workload for the royal year.
Until the end of August, Staudenmann will spend many more hours sweating in the gym and in the wrestling cellar. His aim is to be in top form for the Swiss Wrestling Festival. He will be aiming for his first wreath of the season on May 25 at the Seeländischen in Detligen. There, too, he wants to turn his back on opponent after opponent.
The Bernese powerhouse makes a great impression during fitness training. And what does Staudenmann think of Linus Hämmerli's performance? The top wrestler laughs and says: "Better than expected. Maybe it will be enough for the ESAF 2028 in Thun."
