More than a year after injuring himself in training, Jan Scherrer is making his comeback to the World Cup. What he's planning and how he's doing.
10.12.2025, 13:02
10.12.2025, 13:27
SDA
It's been just over 400 days since Jan Scherrer fractured his rib cartilage in training. The halfpipe pro has only been pain-free for a good 30 days. More than a year of pain and uncertainty lies behind the Toggenburg snowboarder, who had to be patched up with 18 screws and two metal plates. Now Scherrer is finally about to make his long-awaited comeback. One that the 31-year-old had actually planned much earlier.
"Don't know anyone with this injury"
"Jan Scherrer wants to be back in training by January" was the original press release from the end of October 2024. His big goal was to compete at the home World Championships in the Engadin. But it never came to that. His recovery took longer than the doctors originally expected. "The worst thing was never knowing how much longer it would take," says Scherrer, "I thought for a whole year that I would be fine in two months."
In the meantime, when Scherrer had not yet made the desired progress in spring 2025, there was even talk of retiring. "Not because I wanted to. But I don't know anyone who has had this injury." As a result, Scherrer did not know whether a return to top-level sport was even possible.
But there is good news. The 31-year-old has made great progress in recent months. His training is going very well, as he says himself. "But as soon as you get further, you immediately want more and more. You start to stop being grateful," says Scherrer, adding with a laugh: "That's probably a sportsman's disease."
Exactly where he wanted to be
In August, he trained with the team on an airbag in Austria for the first time again. "That was incredible fun." But because Scherrer hadn't trained for so long, he had a new physical problem every week. "On the first day, I was pleased that I didn't feel my ribs too much. Then on the second, I blocked my neck so badly that I had to take a break for a few days."
As if that wasn't enough, his head also slowed him down at the beginning. Because Scherrer "felt" his rib for a long time, the fear of falling was great. However, with time, his support system consisting of family, friends and sports psychologists, and good training, he overcame the blockage bit by bit. Now, when he is on the snow, he can concentrate fully on snowboarding. "That's the most important thing if you want to compete. I'm exactly where I wanted to be in the spring," says Scherrer. A real precision landing.
However, Scherrer, who made his World Cup debut back in 2009, doesn't know exactly what his plans are for the winter. "It's difficult to assess where I stand," he says. This is because almost all the halfpipe specialists in the Swiss team are coming back from injury.
The competition only really begins in the final
Scherrer's goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games as quickly as possible. "Because we have five World Cups before the Games start, that should be possible." He also wants to qualify for the finals at competitions as quickly as possible. "I've always believed that a competition doesn't really start until the final. If you're eliminated in the qualifiers, it feels like you haven't even taken part and then it's no fun."
His goals for the Olympic Games are similar. Scherrer wants to reach the finals. But as an Olympic bronze medal winner from 2022, he also knows that more is possible. "Especially if you really want it and believe in it."
He thinks back to Beijing fondly. "That was the most important day of my career, because it defined and distinguished it." His chances of winning a medal are certainly smaller than in 2022, especially because he has been away for a long time and the competition has not slept. Scherrer doesn't want to make a more precise statement, "I don't dare". Nothing is impossible, he says, but everything that comes after the final is up to him.
What will happen for Scherrer after the Olympics and the World Cup season? "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about my retirement yet," says Scherrer, adding that it would happen "automatically". However, he does not want to go into more detail about his plans for the end of his career. Scherrer only says this much in advance: "It certainly won't be my last season."
