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Alpine Skiing World ChampionshipsUrs Lehmann: “Marco (Odermatt) is a gift for Switzerland”
When taking stock of the Courchevel/Méribel Worlds, the president of Swiss-Ski was very satisfied. And paid tribute to the double world champion Odermatt.
Downhill World Champion Marco Odermatt is congratulated by Swiss-Ski President Urs Lehmann.
Freshfocus
Urs Lehmann, what is your assessment of the Worlds?
We are very happy. We have experienced exceptional, even historic moments. Expectations were very high. But it makes sense when you’re the nation leading the overall. Sometimes, however, we may forget that at the Worlds, everything starts from scratch. Today, Switzerland finished first, so it’s a total success for the nation, the athletes and Swiss-Ski.
Is being the number one nation in the World Cup and the Worlds a goal for Swiss-Ski?
It has always been a vision. We defined it eight years ago when we saw the potential of our athletes, our facilities, the winter and summer resorts, the beautiful classics that we have in the World Cup. Without forgetting the means with sponsors and partners, we said to ourselves that we had to be among the best in the world. To be number one must be our vision. And we have achieved this goal in recent years.
After the men’s super-G (only one medal on Friday of the first week), there were some signs of concern. How did you manage this moment?
The nervousness was mostly outside the gates of Swiss-Ski. Internally, we remained calm. We’ve worked together long enough to stay calm. But I understand this nervousness in the media and among the fans in particular: when you are leading the nations in the World Cup, it was not normal to have only one medal. The following weekend, everything changed thanks to the two gold medals in downhill, the queen of disciplines.
Having a phenomenon like Marco Odermatt is a godsend for the president of Swiss-Ski, isn’t it?
Marco, it’s really a gift yes, not only for Switzerland or Swiss-Ski but for all the sport. Some have argued that he was the Roger Federer of skiing. I find that this comparison corresponds quite well to his personality, which is his off the track or in the team. In the past, we had people who wanted a private structure to be successful, but he is the opposite. He says he needs the team, Swiss-Ski, his parents, etc. This state of mind is something really extraordinary and excellent for the sport.
What moments particularly marked you?
It has two aspects: performance and emotions. For me, in terms of performance, it’s really the descent of Marco (Odermatt). It was the perfect race. I had only seen one like that before: Didier Cuche during his victory in Kitzbühel in 2011. It was an exceptional performance, especially after the disappointment of the Super-G. He put aside everything that had happened before and focused again on what was happening. For the emotions, the giant double of Marco and Loïc, it was a very strong moment!
