In an interview with blue Sport, Olympic ski cross champion Ryan Regez looks ahead to the start of the season and the 2026 Winter Games - and talks openly about the pressure that almost overwhelmed him in Beijing 2022.
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- Olympic ski cross champion Ryan Regez is looking forward with great anticipation and pride to the upcoming Games in Milano/Cortina, where he will compete as defending champion.
- He describes the immense pressure ahead of the 2022 Olympics as grueling, but was able to successfully overcome it and win gold.
- Compared to the Covid Games in Beijing, Regez is now expecting an atmospheric Olympic experience with fans and family on site.
Ski cross racer Ryan Regez won one of seven Swiss gold medals at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. In an interview with blue Sport ahead of the start of the season, the 32-year-old looks ahead to the upcoming Winter Games in Milan and Cortina: "Arriving as defending champion is a huge honor. The anticipation is gigantic." After all, he didn't do so badly last time.
When asked about the medal in Beijing, Regez says: "It's always there, it's in my heart. I worked so hard for it. I had to overcome low points to get there and I'm extremely proud that I did it." Anyone who would like to take a look at his medal can do so, by the way, as it is on display at the tourist office in his home town of Wengen. Will there be an addition there soon? "I already know what the new medal looks like and hopefully there will be something to add to the collection," says Regez confidently.
Of course, going to a major event as defending champion also brings a lot of pressure, but Regez explains: "As I've already been successful, the pressure will be different. That means I may already know better how to deal with it. Also thanks to the home World Championships last year. I've matured again and hope that the successes from the past will give me more confidence and trust and also take the pressure off so that I can handle it better."
Drop by drop until the barrel overflows
"Diamonds are formed under pressure," says Regez, explaining that he needs a certain amount of pressure. However, he found out four years ago in Beijing that it can also be too much. Back then, Regez arrived as the overall World Cup leader and also won the last two races before the Olympics: "All hopes and all eyes were on me back then. This situation was new to me and the pressure was grueling. But I still managed it and was able to deal with it."
This pressure was reflected by the increased news on social media, the media interest, but also by friends and family who got in touch more often. People who had his number "from somewhere" also got in touch: "People write to you and wish you all the best. Every message was mega well-intentioned, but it was a drop more each time and at some point the barrel overflowed. We had single rooms in Beijing and I was there and had to deal with all the pressure somehow."
In the end, it worked out for Regez despite the huge pressure from inside and outside. The ski cross racer won the gold medal ahead of team-mate Alex Fiva and now says looking back that it was also his own ambition: "It was clear to me that I wanted to achieve great things and I am very grateful that I did."
From the ghost Covid Games to Milan/Cortina
The Olympic Games are now coming up again in February, but they can hardly be compared to those of four years ago: "The last Games were Covid Games, which was a real damper on the highlight of any sport. The fact that the Olympics are now so close to home means so much to me. Friends, family, fan club, lots of Swiss fans will hopefully be there to cheer us on." That's why the difference between the ghost Covid Games in China and what the athletes will soon be able to experience in Milano/Cortina will be huge.
For now, however, it's off to the World Cup. The first races of the winter are scheduled for December 11 and 12 in Val Thorens, France.
