Austrian journalist in an interview with blue News "I couldn't stand Peter Müller"
The proud skiing nation of Austria is in crisis. Christoph Geiler, Austrian sports journalist, looks for explanations in an interview with blue News and dares to take a look into the crystal ball.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The World Ski Championships are taking place in Saalbach from February 4 to 16.
- Before the opening race on Tuesday, the battle lines seem to be clearly drawn: Switzerland and Norway are the main medal contenders, while Austria must hope for a turnaround in front of its home crowd.
- Austrian sports journalist Christoph Geiler ventures an outlook on the upcoming medal hunt and sheds light on the sporting rivalry between Switzerland and Austria.
Christoph Geiler, the World Ski Championships begin on Tuesday in Saalbach with the team event. What outweighs the rest for you? Anticipation or trepidation?
Partly, partly. Basically, covering a home World Championships is not really a pleasant job for an Austrian journalist. It's pure stress and hectic. We like to exaggerate skiing here. We're not much different to you Swiss in that respect.
That's why it's collective hysteria, of course. You can also see now how much skiing still polarizes, emotionalizes and moves people - despite this long series of failures, especially among the men. It's the number one topic of conversation. The predominant question is: are we really that bad or can we now surprise positively?
Do the critical or the optimistic tones predominate?
There are many critics here who wish the Austrians would get a slap in the face. And of course there is also a longing for success. Because so far, the ÖSV has not been able to achieve a balance between effort and return.
About the person
Christoph Geiler has been a member of the sports editorial team of the Austrian daily newspaper "Kurier" since 1995. As a Tyrolean, he closely follows winter sports topics in particular.
A major event like the World Championships has its own rules. How much courage do you take from this phrase?
At the moment, I have the feeling that you draw on anything that can somehow give you hope. For example, that the favorites will stumble and therefore the Swiss won't win. People are banking on the fact that the major events in particular have already produced many surprise winners. One of these, for example, is the Swiss federation president, Urs Lehmann, who has not won much apart from his World Championship downhill victory in 1993.
The ÖSV is hoping for stories like this. And that the pressure on the Swiss will be too great. Everyone is expecting miracles, especially in the men's speed races with Marco Odermatt. The Austrians can really only surprise in a positive way. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, where they only managed a bronze medal.
Speaking of the Swiss speed skiers: In addition to Odermatt, the Red Bull logo is also emblazoned on Franjo von Allmen's helmet. So at least part of the Swiss success is "Made in Austria" ...
Yes, you could say that. But we haven't got to the point yet where we have to take up the banner and look for success everywhere. In the style of: Maybe he skis an Austrian ski or he was once on vacation in Austria and is therefore half Austrian. No, please let's not go that far, that would be really pathetic. We won't let this pride be taken away from us.
Although it does seem that the rivalry between Austria and Switzerland is more friendly today than it used to be.
I grew up in the 80s and back then I didn't like those Swiss skiers as a child. For example, I couldn't stand Peter Müller when I was watching him on TV. And now the problem is that Odermatt and von Allmen in particular are really likeable guys and a boost for skiing. You can't even be angry with them. At the moment you get the feeling that they are the better Austrians. And they also enjoy high popularity ratings in Austria, you have to honestly admit that.
That's why this rivalry is no longer as pronounced as it perhaps once was. At the moment, unfortunately, the national flags speak volumes: Switzerland has a white plus on a red background - and we have a white minus on a red background.
Will this World Cup be the big turning point?
The hope is, of course, that the World Championships will end on a positive note. And the team competition at the start is already a decisive factor. It has long been ridiculed and neglected in Austria. Now the ÖSV team has prepared meticulously for this race because they know that it can also be an initial spark. Winning a medal on the opening day would give them a huge boost.
Conversely, you can't allow yourself to be dazzled. So even if you win seven or eight medals, which is the declared goal, the ÖSV is facing difficult times.
In what way?
The men's speed team is undergoing a generational change. In slalom, the best skiers like Manuel Feller are already over 30 and there are no young talents. The youngest Austrian World Cup winner is Marco Schwarz, who was born in 1995. With Monney and von Allmen, Switzerland has top racers who were born in the 2000s, but they don't exist in Austria. This problem will remain even after this World Cup. It's a big challenge, possibly even similar to what Switzerland experienced 15 years ago, when they turned over every stone and laid the foundations for this new generation that is now here.
If you could conjure up a skier for the current ÖSV team, would you prefer Marcel Hirscher in his prime or Marco Odermatt?
If I had the choice, I would take Hermann Maier. That sounds harsh, but Marcel Hirscher never got under the Austrians' skin like Hermann Maier. With his skiing style alone, with his life story as a bricklayer who was called up late, with his fall, with his motorcycle accident, after which he always got up again.
Maier's story also reflects the sport of skiing, where there are always troughs. But Marcel Hirscher never had to go through that during his career, apart from his comeback. That's why I think a guy like Hermann Maier would look better on the ÖSV.
And finally, the obligatory look into the crystal ball. What will the medal table look like at the end of the World Championships?
I don't think Switzerland will win that many medals in the women's event. Nevertheless, I see Switzerland in first place, Norway in second and Austria in third. We would probably be satisfied with six medals by now. A gold medal would actually be a miracle, to be honest. With only two wins this season, both by Cornelia Hütter and both at the start of the season, you can't expect a shower of medals.
