On Friday, Marco Schwarz will be racing on the Streif in the Super-G for the first time in his career. But despite his enthusiasm, he stays away from the starting gate on the Hahnenkamm (for the time being).
23.01.2026, 05:01
23.01.2026, 07:07
SDA
He crosses the finish line, swings off, waves to the crowd in imperial weather and raises his thumb. A short time later, Marco Schwarz stands in front of the reporters' microphones in the finish area in Kitzbühel. He doesn't actually have to say anything, his beaming face and shining eyes describe his mood perfectly. He looks like a child who has passed a test of courage. Or just like someone who has conquered the Streif for the first time.
"A bit different than on TV"
"When I slid down to the Mausefalle for the first time during the tour, I thought to myself: it looks a bit different than on TV," says Schwarz in an interview with Keystone-SDA and adds in his Carinthian dialect: "But I have to say: it was really cool, I really enjoyed it."
According to the all-rounder, he would have loved to go straight back up and then down again. When asked if he could ride again on Saturday, "Blacky" shakes his head. "I'm not ready for Saturday after a week in bed."
Schwarz had to miss the races in Wengen last weekend at short notice due to a stomach flu. At the Hahnenkamm races, he wants to compete in the super-G on Friday and the slalom on Sunday. "Today was a good test, let's see what the future holds. I'm open for more."
"I can't let go in the slalom yet"
That's the sound of someone who has tasted blood. There was no getting past Schwarz in the last speed race of 2025. In the super-G in Livigno, he not only prevented a Swiss triple victory by Alexis Monney, Franjo von Allmen and Marco Odermatt, but also celebrated his first ever World Cup victory in a speed discipline. Odermatt then took the opportunity to recommend Schwarz with a wink: "Now you can stop with the slalom skis."
The comment goes back to an exchange the two had a few days earlier in Alta Badia. Schwarz had already won the giant slalom there, finally crowning his comeback after a long injury break. Only in the slalom, his main discipline before the injury, things are not yet going as planned for the Carinthian. He only has one top ten finish to his name. After he even missed out on qualifying for the second run in Madonna di Campiglio, he said he had to think about how to proceed in this discipline.
So no more slaloms for the man who won his only small crystal globe in this discipline in 2021? "I can't let go yet. I'll definitely finish the slaloms this season. I'm convinced that I can still do a lot."
"A few years ago, the feeling was the opposite"
Schwarz can't fully explain why things haven't worked out yet in the slalom of all things, while he has been able to celebrate successes in the giant slalom and super-G. "A few years ago, the feeling was exactly the opposite: I was at the start in the slalom and knew exactly what I had to do. At the moment, I'm still searching a bit." However, Schwarz continues, the density in the slalom is currently "insanely brutal". You have to go all-in to be able to keep up to some extent.
That leaves two disciplines in which Schwarz can annoy the Swiss. Something he did regularly before his serious crash in Bormio in December 2023. At the time, he was even leading the overall World Cup ahead of Odermatt and there were signs of an exciting duel. Then he suffered a torn cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee. One year after the accident, he was back in the World Cup.
What it means to him to be back at the front was already evident at the season opener in Sölden. After his 2nd place in the giant slalom, he let his tears of joy run free. "Even after the two victories, this is the most emotional event of the season for me," says Schwarz. At that moment, he thought about the many hours he had spent in physiotherapy and in the gym. The patience it had taken to be able to move again without pain and to rediscover the fun of skiing. "And then, with the family on site, it all came out."
"I have no bad thoughts about Bormio"
It is unrealistic that he will be able to challenge Odermatt again in the overall World Cup this season, as he did before his injury. "Of course, it would be cool for the whole audience if something could be sparked off again. But Odi is in too strong a form for that and I'm not quite where I want to be yet," says Schwarz. After missing out on the races in Wengen, he dropped down the rankings in the overall World Cup. He is currently in 7th place - almost 640 points behind leader Odermatt.
Instead of accepting the hopeless battle, Schwarz is concentrating on challenging Odermatt selectively and getting closer to his best form. After all, the next highlight is just around the corner with the Winter Games. The fact that the races are taking place in Bormio of all places is not a problem for Schwarz: "I'm at peace with Bormio, I have no bad thoughts about this place." Of course, the shock was great at the time, but now he is ready for revenge.
Whether it will be enough in the slalom remains to be seen, but in the super-G and giant slalom he will "compete with a broad chest". And who knows, maybe the lack of results for the ÖSV men will even allow him to start in the downhill: "I'm not ruling it out. But a lot has to come together for that," says Schwarz.
First, however, his full focus is on his first race on the Streif.
