The 26-year-old from Carinthia provides insights into his training, an outlook on the new season and explains why Marcel Hirscher is no longer annoying.
You just have to envy the runners of the ÖSV slalom and giant slalom team for their jobs. On the Pitztal Glacier you will experience the most spectacular sunrises these days, the panorama at over 3000 meters above sea level is – in the truest sense of the word – overwhelming.
Of course, the ÖSV technicians have not gathered for sightseeing on the highest Austrian glacier. The athletes around Marco Schwarz and Manuel Feller are currently completing one of the most important training courses as part of the preparation for the new World Cup winter, which will open on October 23 in Sölden.
Because the Austrians have the Pitztal Glacier to themselves this week. Thanks to the excellent relationships between men's head coach Andreas Puelacher and Pitztal glacier pioneer Hans Rubatscher, the ski area was opened up especially for the technical team. “We find really perfect conditions here,” says Marco Schwarz.
The Carinthian is entering the new season full of energy and confidence. Last winter Marco Schwarz had cleared a lot and expanded his trophy collection properly. The 26-year-old became world champion in combination in Cortina, he won the bronze medal in the giant slalom and also secured the small crystal ball in the slalom world cup.
In “Das 3440”, the highest cafe in Austria, Marco Schwarz answered journalists' questions. The Carinthian talked about. . .
- the past winter
“It was a very intense season. There wasn't much time left during the races to reflect everything. Of course I am always happy when I look back, but my focus was quickly on next winter. “
- the increased expectations
“In truth, I probably put the greatest pressure on myself. I do think that the expectations of the public and the media will be greater now. On the other hand, I have the impression that the successes last winter have made me relax a bit At the same time, I want even more: I'm only 26 now, I'm not running out of goals, I still want to achieve something and I'm very hungry. ”
Marco Schwarz during training on the Pitztal Glacier
- The ambitions in the fight for the overall World Cup
“The big thing has to come up to you. And above all you have to have one or two disciplines in which you really compete for victory. There is still a lot of work waiting for me in the giant slalom before I can fight for the podium there. Im Giant slalom is still lacking one hundred percent self-confidence. “
- Starts in the speed disciplines
“I will maybe take one or two Super-Gs with me this season. The descent is too time-consuming for me at the moment. As much as I enjoy the speed competitions, it takes years before you are really competitive in the descent and for them At the moment, it's more about taking one or two World Cup points with me. If I invested more time, I could certainly take a step forward, but my focus is on the technical disciplines. “
- The Beijing Olympics
“Of course the focus is on the Winter Games, but at the moment the Olympics are still a long way off. I don't think too much about that, I prefer to look from race to race. I've always done well with that and then it's in my head fresher. “
- his development as a racer and personality
“I'm definitely much more relaxed today than I was at the age of 20. You just learn a lot over the seasons. I put less pressure on myself today when things don't go well in training and I know that that's why you can't talk about everything straight away Have to throw heaps. “
- the long shadow of Marcel Hirscher
“Of course he's still there, but certainly not like in the first winter after his retirement. I think we made the leap well. The first year it was maybe a bit annoying when there was only this topic, last season it worked out relatively well. “
