Marco Odermatt remains hungry even after all his successes. At the vernissage of his biography "My World", the man from Nidwalden talks about his unbridled passion, a special rivalry and the urge to always be the fastest.
11.11.2025, 14:34
11.11.2025, 15:43
SDA
Marco Odermatt, the authorized biography "My World" about you was published today. How did it come about?
"It came about from an initial idea, or rather in the course of many requests. Michael Schiendorfer from my management and I came to the conclusion that if so much is being written anyway and so many requests are coming in, then we'd rather take a project into our own hands - with authors we want to work with and where we can really contribute something. I prefer that to just publishing any old book, as has happened in the past."
The book also contains excerpts from your "diary". Why have you been writing one, since when and why are you still doing so?
"It's a racing diary, not a normal one. I make notes in it about each race after I've ridden it, maybe in the evening, maybe one, two or three days later, depending on when I have the time, energy and inclination. I started doing this about four or five years ago because we are often in the same place every year. That way I don't forget what the snow was like there and what equipment I used. Over time, I've also started to let my thoughts and emotions flow into it. But the main reason is that the entries help me to get that feeling from the previous year as soon as I arrive."
The question of all questions is also asked in the book: Why are you so fast?
"That's difficult for me to answer too. In skiing, you need so many different pieces of the puzzle to fit together in order to be fast. It's important to have every piece at a very high level. But I don't think you necessarily have to be the very best in every area. There are certainly athletes who ride better technically or have more strength or endurance than me. Ultimately, you have to get the different pieces of the puzzle to the highest possible level and then put them together at the right moment. I think I often do that very well."
Your parents Walter and Priska, as well as former coaches, say that the joy of skiing is the only thing that drives you. Where does it come from?
"It's the passion of a little boy who simply loves skiing. The fact that skiing has become a profession has changed it somewhat. But this joy is still deeply rooted, I still feel it."
With its many obligations, the life of such a successful ski racer is like a life on a hamster wheel. How do you manage to keep things light?
"In any case, the environment that supports me and always gives me new joy helps - be it friends, family or the team. I appreciate being on the road with the Swiss team and not with a private team. This means that I'm always together with my colleagues when I'm traveling. Experiencing things together is simply much more fun."
What do you find most difficult about being a ski racer?
"At some point, when the time comes and I finish my career, I'm sure I won't miss the constant packing and unpacking. Coming home, doing the laundry, packing up again and leaving - at some point it will be good to live out of a suitcase. Although maybe I'll miss it again relatively quickly, that's also possible."
Before your strength and fitness coach Kurt Kothbauer, who is also close to you privately, left you in spring 2024, he suggested that you find a new approach to stay motivated after all your successes. Have you found it?
"To be honest, not something completely new in that sense. The addiction, or rather the feeling of winning, the will to be the fastest and best, to have mastered the challenge best on day X, that still motivates me enough and still gives me great pleasure. I still consider it a privilege to be able to experience these special emotions, whether after a good race of my own or together with the team. These emotions still drive me."
Many of your companions emphasize your willingness to learn and the speed at which you implement inputs. Do you know the key to why you internalize things so quickly?
"No. I only really realized with this book that the trainers say that about me across the board. If they all say that, it's probably true, but I wasn't really aware of it."
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde appears in the book in the chapter "My people". The Norwegian and you have a special rivalry characterized by mutual respect, which has developed into a friendship. Have there been other, more fierce rivalries along the way?
"I would say the rivalries are generally greater in the technical disciplines than in the fast ones. Perhaps we are more collegial in speed because you inevitably spend more time together. In a downhill week, you spend five or six days in the same place and train on the same piste. You also share the risk involved in the speed disciplines. As a result, the respect for each other is probably greater from the ground up."
