“I have the right to win” – Cyprien Sarrazin is no longer an imposter

Cyprien Sarrazin has not been the same man since he transformed into a speed specialist in 2022, when he was already 28 years old. The Frenchman was able to exorcise his demons to assert himself as Marco Odermatt’s main rival in downhill and super-G.

A former giant whose results had only generated frustration and disappointments after a promising 2nd place at Alta Badia in December 2019, Cyprien Sarrazin nevertheless did not make a convincing start in speed. Too impetuous, he even injured his back in a heavy fall on January 21, 2023 in Kitzbühel.

First consequence of this fall, Sarrazin was forced to follow the world championships organized at home in front of his screen in Courchevel. A heartbreak that finally pushed him to consult a psychologist, a decision that was not easy for him to make.

“I had difficulty revealing myself,” says the Frenchman, who now also confides in an energy coach. His decision was the right one, his meteoric rise proves it. He finally feels comfortable in his life – and of course also in his job as a competitive skier: “I ski as I am”.

Internal blockage is a thing of the past. He has mastered the emotions that arose with particular intensity last time after his breakup with his then girlfriend, in the form of heartbreak.

His terrible fall and injury on the Streif had also acted as a trigger. The Streif had brutally ejected him at the entrance to the crossing leading to the final schuss. He had once again landed in the safety nets. By having pushed the limits without being free in his head, as he tells it.

The right to win

Cyprien Sarrazin found in the world of psychology, which he previously disdained, the missing piece to succeed as a top athlete. Skepticism quickly gave way to the conviction that they had chosen the right path. He recently gave two examples.

The first concerns a downhill training session on the Streif last January: “I made a mistake precisely in the section where I had fallen the previous year. I spoke to my psychologist about it, and the next day, everything went well there too,” explains the man who was going to score the double in the process of going downhill in Kitzbühel.

The second example concerns the period before the Bormio descent, just twelve months ago: “My energy coach told me I had the right to win”. Sarrazin was initially surprised, but four days later he achieved the feat on the famous Stelvio track to win the race ahead of Marco Odermatt. It was his first victory, for his tenth participation in a World Cup downhill.

“Have the right to win”. Surprisingly, this phase refers to the so-called imposter syndrome from which Sarrazin suffered, his advisors noted. This personality disorder is attributed to people who doubt their own professional performance, who do not attribute their objective successes to their own abilities and skills.

Sarrazin no longer presents such symptoms. He says he learned a lot about himself: “I became aware of how I function after failures and difficult times.” For him, he also says, the most important thing is the journey taken. “The moments of success will remain forever. But everything we have accomplished to get here will serve me for the rest of my life.”

“I no longer put pressure on myself”

Sarrazin is doing well, even very well – even while taking measured risks – with his new state of mind, which helps him in a world of work which is no longer the same for him. Expectations have indeed increased tenfold after its resounding success last winter.

Sarrazin thinks he can handle this situation: “I no longer put pressure on myself. I am rather happy to have managed to enjoy all these moments without having to go too far, without having to expose myself to the greatest danger,” explains the Frenchman, ready to fight after a frustrating end to the 2023/24 season marked by an injury to Kvitfjell and the cancellation of the descent of the Saalbach finals which had deprived him of a duel for the small globe with Marco Odermatt.

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