Marco Odermatt was once again the measure of all things in the Ski World Cup last winter, even if there was a setback at the end of the giant slalom. He has learned to deal with defeats this season, says the man from Nidwalden at a Stöckli Ski media conference.
9 victories, 17 podium places, 3 Olympic medals, a small bullet in the downhill and in the super-G and - for the fifth time in a row - victory in the overall World Cup. Marco Odermatt can once again look back on an outstanding season. "It was very successful," says the 28-year-old, but immediately follows up with a "but".
Because with the high ambitions that always accompany the World Cup dominator, it wasn't a perfect season in the end. Odermatt missed his big goal for the season, winning the Kitzbühel downhill, as well as a gold medal at the Olympic Games. And the giant slalom globe also went down the drain in the last race.
"I've learned to deal with defeats. There was hardly anything to complain about in the last few years, that's been added a little now," says Odi. However, he is also aware that he is in a different sphere to most of his rivals. "It's a brutal situation when a second place is already a small defeat and a 4th place is almost a disaster. It's a nice, but also stupid situation that I've got myself into."
The biggest defeat was a second place
If he ever stands next to the podium, he is immediately confronted with uncomfortable questions. "If I finish sixth, I have to explain myself. In interviews, with the service man, with the coaches, with my family and also with myself," says Odermatt. "When you've won so much and know that you can win everything, you have to go through this process to find out what didn't work out well."
Odermatt has broken records this winter, celebrating victories in his home races on the Chuenisbergli and in the Lauberhorn downhill. However, the negative experiences remain, such as the downhill in Kitzbühel, where the man from Nidwalden finished second 0.07 seconds behind Giovanni Franzoni. "That was the saddest second place in my career," admits Odermatt.
He explains: "It's a huge privilege to talk about a disappointment. But I never made a secret of the fact that winning in Kitzbühel was my big goal for the season. Everything had actually fallen into place, I felt very good. So it hurt all the more that it wasn't quite enough."
The thing with the hunger for success
At least the superstar, who is spoiled for success, still has a big goal for next season that he has not yet been able to achieve. Especially as Odermatt's hunger for success is no longer quite as easy as it was at the start of his career, as he admits: "It's not always easy to feel the same hunger at every race."
In the last few races of the season, this became very apparent: "In Kvitfjell, I thought for the first time in my life on the course: I'm actually sick of racing today. It was overcast, the snow was soft and you run back a gate for the 20th time while the sweat runs down," says Odi honestly.
He came seventh in the downhill, only 19th in the super-G - and was eliminated in the giant slalom. "You try to push yourself at the start, but it's not the most honest will." But Odermatt can also take positives from it. "As shitty as these days are at the moment, they're good for showing me that I can't take anything for granted."
Giving up the giant slalom?
The 28-year-old is considering giving up the giant slalom, but probably not yet in the coming season. "Towards the end of the season, I realized that I no longer had enough preparation to be able to compete for victory in every race." It's not a good feeling to be at the start and know that everything isn't perfect, "then it's also less fun."
It is therefore quite possible that Odermatt will concentrate exclusively on the speed races in the foreseeable future. "I have to listen to myself. If I ever lose the joy of certain races, I will cut back. I don't know when that moment will come, but I'm sure it will."
