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Sporting heights despite a personal crisis: Thomas Tumler has had a turbulent few months.
Keystone
Last winter, Thomas Tumler had the most successful season of his career. Away from the slopes, however, the Grisons native also experienced what was probably the most difficult phase of his life. Now the ski star talks about his marriage break-up.
In February, Thomas Tumler becomes vice world champion in the giant slalom in Saalbach, Austria. Just a few weeks earlier, the Grisons native celebrated his first World Cup victory in Beaver Creek - at the age of 35. He had been at the bottom for a long time, but now he had finally reached the top. But what nobody knew at the time was that he was in a personal crisis.
In December, it was clear that his marriage to Svenja had broken down. The couple had only married in June. Among the guests at the wedding were fellow skiers Marco Odermatt, Justin Murisier and brothers Mauro and Gino Caviezel.
A deep break for Tumler. "It was a very tough time," he recalls in the "Schweizer Illustrierte" magazine ."She told me that she no longer had feelings for me. At the wedding, it was all completely predictable."
Thomas Tumler and Svenja got married in June 2024.
Tumler is trying to save the relationship. He doesn't want to give up seven years together without a fight. But it remains an attempt. The pain of the break-up leaves its mark - the man from Graubünden loses ten kilos. "I hid from everything." Emotions overwhelm him again and again. "Sometimes I lay in bed all day and cried. I pulled myself together for the races."
His sporting achievements this winter seem all the more impressive under these circumstances. "It was a rollercoaster ride. I actually lied to myself before every race and built myself up." But the physical consequences of the crisis cannot be overlooked: The day before the World Championship giant slalom, Tumler has to change his ski boots. The old ones are too hard - he lacks the strength to push through them properly.
Emotional rollercoaster ride: In February, Thomas Tumler celebrates World Championship silver in the giant slalom, but in his private life he is going through a difficult phase.
Keystone
Tumler nevertheless skis to a sensational silver medal, only having to admit defeat to Austria's Raphael Haaser. He manages to suppress the heartache surrounding the races. Only after the successful season does he find this more difficult again.
"The real processing process began after the season," he says. He was able to enjoy the successes. "But then everything caught up with me again. I broke down in the middle of a ski tour and cried in the snow. I was a happy runner-up world champion - and then bang. That was bad."
A few months have passed since then. He is doing very well again today, says the soon-to-be 36-year-old. Tumler has remained a family man. He would like to have children at some point. But as things stand, he no longer wants to get married. "Yes, it went badly. But if I meet the right girl and everything fits, I don't want to deny her that. So maybe I'll change my mind."
