Swiss-Ski boss Lehmann: "Meillard on the same level as Odermatt"

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• The Swiss team put in a great performance at the World Championships in Saalbach. In the end there were 13 medals.
• In an interview with "Eurosport", Swiss Ski President Urs Lehmann explained what this historic success is based on, why he still has all the hair on his head and what he particularly appreciates about Loïc Meillard.

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Lehmann has been President of Swiss Ski since 2008 - in his fifth term at the helm of the association, the 55-year-old can experience the Swiss festival in Saalbach. The Swiss team won a total of 13 medals at the World Championships.

A look at the medal table

How Switzerland outclassed the competition at the World Ski Championships

"It was an incredible two weeks. Of course, our goal was to win the medal table, but we couldn't have expected to do it in such an impressive way. It's a very nice moment. We have also achieved something historic. The men have never won so many medals - the triple victory in the team combined with six Swiss on the podium has never happened before either," the man from Aargau notes in an interview with "Eurosport".

"Hair-cutting action" as proof of family performance culture

The good atmosphere in the Swiss camp has "developed over the years", explains Lehmann. "There is a lot of trust and mutual support, as well as the ambition to be the best. And all this in an extremely healthy environment."

Proof of the great internal climate was the "hair-cutting" campaign by the speed skiers, in which many Swiss ski stars sacrificed their hair. Urs Lehmann escaped his fate because he had already left. After that, at the latest, everyone realized what a family-like performance culture had been developed at the association, Lehmann says proudly.

Marco Odermatt (left) and Loïc Meillard as Swiss figureheads.

Keystone

He is particularly pleased that Loïc Meillard was able to show his potential at the World Championships. So far, the man from Neuchâtel has had to live "somewhat in Odermatt's shadow". For the Swiss Ski boss, the newly crowned slalom world champion is "on the same level as Odermatt".

"Meillard is perhaps technically the best skier in the world"

Lehmann enthuses: "Meillard is technically one of the best skiers in the world - perhaps the best." He is a calmer guy than Marco, who at least had a bit more of a killer instinct in the past.

Odermatt triumphed in the super-G, but was unable to clear the other disciplines. For Lehmann, however, this is not the result of too many distractions such as press events or celebrations. The hype surrounding him is nothing new, so you can't say that the winner of the last three overall World Cups should have been shielded more, he says.

The 27-year-old is still the internal benchmark. Lehmann: "If I'm on a par with Odermatt in training, then I know that I can keep up with the world's best. That makes a big difference and motivates me. That's certainly part of the puzzle."

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