In Switzerland, Cyprien Sarrazin has become the Frenchman we adore. Because if Marco Odermatt’s World Cup victories are so beautiful, it’s because he has to beat a top-flight opponent. The 29-year-old Haut-Alpin was the revelation of last season in the speed disciplines, the former giant who was injured all the time.
The key for him? Mental work. “The brain is the most important muscle,” he explained to us during a meeting in Geneva. Physically, we have limits. Our bones can withstand a certain amount of pressure and our muscles cannot escape the standards. The ligaments are there, they have limits. Technically, there are limits too. The hardware has its limits. But in our brain, there is none!”
The Frenchman has almost become untouchable on certain routes. He was even “in the zone” three times, he counted. “This work has been fundamental to being happy in my life, as a man. I managed to resolve the problems I had, with all the injuries and everything that that could have caused in my life on the side, explained the double winner of Kitzbühel last January. Because yes, head trauma, years without skiing, that’s it, thank you very much… There are consequences, we must not ignore them. So I lifted the rug, cleaned underneath.”
Luc Alphand’s worthy successor hopes to continue his momentum this winter, starting Friday, during the descent of Beaver Creek. “I am happy, proud of my journey. Because it is the most important path. The trophies in the end… The bell tower of Bormio, the chamois of Kitz, they are under my TV and when I go home, I don’t even see them anymore. On the other hand, what I never forget is everything I went through to get there.”
