They felt extremely close, to the point of maintaining a relationship described as close. The death of Kevin Holdener in January left a huge void in the life of his sister Wendy, of whom he was the manager. Released last week, a documentary produced by the SRF immortalizes the importance that Kevin represented for the slalom skier with 35 World Cup podiums, as well as the long battle of this shadowy man against cancer.
“He definitely didn’t have an easy life, but he never gave up,” admires Michael Bühler, director of the film “Wendy Holdener and her brother Kevin – connected beyond death”. The Thounois speaks of extremely emotional work: “Kevin was very talented in skiing. But he quickly had to stop because of his illness. After learning the seriousness of his cancer in 2011, the Schwyz resident documented his life extensively using his Go-Pro camera.
It was in December 2023, shortly before his death, that he engaged Michael Bühler with the idea of making a documentary. “His family was very united, it was beautiful to see,” explains the director. This film also aims to give courage to people suffering from cancer. “I was touched by his life journey, but also by his great resilience,” emphasizes Michael Bühler.
The main person concerned was, unfortunately, very little able to participate in the filming, since he died in January, at the age of 34. “I then thought that we would not make the film. But Wendy wanted it to continue. This is also what Kevin would have wanted. At the beginning, it was strange to continue without him, because he played the central role.
In addition to the images he filmed with his camera and testimonies from him, Kevin’s wife, his sister Wendy and the parents intervene in the documentary. “I had to get to know the different members of the family, it was very emotional,” emphasizes Michael Bühler.
Wendy, 31, had to partly rebuild her staff to replace her brother. “Kevin helped her enormously in her various successes,” comments the director. But, like the filming that she wanted to continue, the skier with five Olympic medals and three World Champion titles did not think of ending her career.
The slalom runner from Unteriberg will draw inspiration from the courage shown by her brother to take on the new challenges that are looming, such as the 2025 Worlds in Saalbach and the 2026 Olympic Games in Cortina. From up there, Kevin will undoubtedly continue to proudly follow the career of his sister, whose season resumed last Saturday with the Sölden giant.
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