For three years, Marc Gisin was close to Marco Odermatt as head of racing at Stöckli. Now he talks in an interview about an athlete who has left an impression not only in sporting terms, but also on a personal level.
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- After three years as race director at Stöckli, Marc Gisin looks back very positively on his collaboration with Marco Odermatt and describes it as a "dream".
- He emphasizes Odermatt's professionalism, clear communication and ability to keep private and professional matters strictly separate.
- Despite the great pressure to succeed, Gisin praises their time together as one big highlight.
Marc Gisin has worked as race director for the ski company Stöckli for the last three years. In the summer, he will hand over this position to Jörg "Yoyo" Roten, who most recently worked as Wendy Holdener's coach. During these three years, Gisin also looked after figurehead Marco Odermatt as a link between the skiers, service staff and the ski company. The five-time overall World Cup winner has been skiing with Stöckli since 2010.
When asked how the three years of working with Odermatt were, Gisin can hardly stop raving: "It was extremely professional, he is an absolute picture-book athlete." Gisin explains that he already knew the man from Nidwalden beforehand and had been on good terms with him in his private life. When Odermatt was new to the World Cup, the two even shared a room together.
Gisin goes on to talk about the last few years with Odermatt: "Of course he was demanding. For an athlete at this level, when the goal is to win every time and the whole team is disappointed if you don't win, it puts a certain amount of pressure on you."
Privately and professionally: uncomplicated and direct
However, dealing with pressure was nothing new for Gisin anyway: "I've already competed in one or two World Cup races," explains the 37-year-old, who raced at the highest level himself from 2009 to 2020. He was therefore able to assess what you can contribute to a good ranking as an athlete or outsider: "You can't influence how the athletes race." The service team, which Gisin led in his position, also only had limited influence: "They can do a great job, but if Odermatt makes a mistake on the inside ski, it's not their fault."
What Gisin also appreciates about Odermatt is that he can keep his private and professional lives strictly separate. When asked what the ski star is like in these two worlds, Gisin explains: "He's uncomplicated in both. And he always says exactly what he thinks. He says what he needs, he says what he wants." Odermatt is therefore very efficient in his communication. You always know where you stand with him: "In private, perhaps in a more humorous way." In general, working with an athlete like him is a dream in terms of communication and interaction.
The last three years have been a huge highlight: "It was a great honor for me to have been a part of it and to be able to support him. I gave everything I had with 100 percent and tried to provide him with the greatest possible support from the material side. And that was very successful," says Gisin. In the three years under him as Stöckli race director, Odermatt won 11 crystal globes, three of them as overall World Cup winner.
