– Staudenmann wins – but again there is trouble with the grade
To start with, Schwinger king Joel Wicki will face Unspunnen winner Samuel Giger. Can Wicki prevail against Giger for the first time?
Published today at 07:34
A draw between Staudenmann (pictured) and Schlegel: The score of only 8.75 for both of them causes some people to shake their heads.
Foto: Keystone
10:55 am
The wrestling king clenches his fist. He defeats Patrick Gobeli from Bern, who had previously defended himself bravely for minutes and saved himself several times in extremis. But he too “only” gets a 9.75. Many of the favorites move in lockstep.
10:52 am
In the first round, Lario Kramer defeated Marco Good. And what does the Freiburg native get as a reward? Samuel Giger in the second round! It is probably the hardest possible task for Kramer, he has already lost three times against the overswinger. And now comes the fourth defeat – with a “Wyberhaken” the Thurgau native secures the 10th place.
10:49 am
Adrian Walther reacted strongly to his opening defeat against Armon Orlik: The Bernese won the duel with Adrian Odermatt with just under two minutes left on the clock. It was a feat of strength, thanks to which he can continue to be in the lead. He received a score of 9.75.
10:46 am
Two years ago, Matthias Aeschbacher faced Joel Wicki in the final round at the Federal Championships in Pratteln. Starting with a draw over Marcel Bieri, the Emmentaler was able to defeat Christian Bucher in the second round. Interesting detail: Aeschbacher has not won a festival this year for the first time since 2016.
10:43 am
That’s a big surprise. Werner Schlegel, who was still very active in the first round against Fabian Staudenmann and once or twice came close to the result, is lying on his back. The man from eastern Switzerland, four-time winner this season, has to bow to Michael Gwerder. He gets an 8.75 instead of an 8.50 – another strange grade, as Schlegel certainly didn’t fight particularly actively.
10:40 am
Everywhere you see women and men with hats on their heads. The inscription “Appenzell 2020” causes irritation. Have we traveled through time? Not at all. In the interest of sustainability, no new caps were produced. The anniversary celebration was supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic.
10:40 am
Fabio Hiltbrunner is considered one of the greatest talents among the Bernese wrestlers. At the Kemmeriboden-Schwinget he had to give up a week ago after winning two rounds – purely as a precautionary measure, it was said. And indeed: Hiltbrunner is fit. The 19-year-old from Emmental defeated Swiss compatriot Mike Müllestein in the second round, having already won against Lukas Heinzer in the opening round.
10:37 am
More trouble with the marks for favourite Fabian Staudenmann, but this time it was his own fault. He dominated Martin Roth from start to finish, but ultimately won “only” by pushing hard. That means: a mark of 9.75 and not a 10. He rolled his eyes, but stayed in the fight for the festival victory.
10:32 am
“Dodo, Dodo!” The crowd favorite is heading for the sawdust again. After the draw in the first round, Domenic Schneider now has to face Lukas Döbeli. But things are not going well for the Thurgauer, he has to make do with another draw. This also means that Schneider is out of the running.
10:19 am
The second round is already underway. In the next hour, the following duels will take place: Armon Orlik – Christian Gerber, Joel Wicki – Patrick Gobeli, Nick Alpiger – Lars Zaugg, Samuel Giger – Lario Kramer, Fabian Staudenmann – Martin Roth, Adrian Walther – Adrian Odermatt, Werner Schlegel – Michael Gwerder, Damian Ott – Michael Ledermann, Domenic Schneider – Lukas Döbeli.
10:04 am
Armon Orlik made a statement with his victory over Adrian Walther. Most of the other top favorites started the festival with a draw. The awarding of marks in the Staudenmann vs. Schlegel duel is still a topic of discussion. Christian Stucki speaks of an incomprehensible, even unfathomable decision. One thing is clear: the fact that the two only received an 8.75 instead of a 9.0 could ultimately be groundbreaking.
10:04 am
King against Unspunnen winner: The pairing between Joel Wicki and Samuel Giger was a “set-up” match. The two giants are meeting for the first time since last year’s Rigi-Schwinget. And it remains the same: Wicki cannot win against Giger, the encounter ends in a draw. Wicki’s record against the Thurgau over-winner: five draws, two defeats.
10:00 a.m.
Florian Gnägi from Bern is not getting going. After his initial defeat against Damian Ott, he only managed a draw in his duel with Jan Roth.
09:56 am
Wrestling champion Jörg Abderhalden also speaks of a wrong decision: “Both Staudenmann and Schlegel should have been rewarded with a grade of 9.”
09:54 am
There is pulling and tugging, attacking and defending: it is the best fight so far in Appenzell, even if there is ultimately no winner. Fabian Staudenmann and Werner Schlegel show great wrestling skills, but it is amazing that they are not rewarded with a score of 9.0. Only 8.75 for both of them, which makes some people shake their heads. What else do you have to do to get a 9.0 in a tie?
09:48 am
Now wrestling king Stucki is watching wrestling place 1 with eagle eyes. Matthieu Burger has just joined forces with Ueli Rohrer. But Burger can’t get going and has to accept a draw for the second time. That’s it for Stucki’s “Zwänzgerli”. It’s good that his colleagues at SRF are at least treating him to a warm lunch for his commentary services. And if not, we’ll bring him a sandwich.
09:43 am
Finally, something is happening down there in the arena: In a duel between two of the favorites, Armon Orlik defeats Adrian Walther from Bern. The Graubünden native makes a big statement. The audience cheers him wildly. For Walther, who gained ten kilos of muscle mass over the winter, it is a bitter blow.
09:36 am
Stefan Strebel wanted a spectacle. Accordingly, he has chosen the top pairings to the best of his ability. So far, however, it has been a pretty lukewarm affair. The match between Matthias Aeschbacher and Marcel Bieri also ended in a draw. But now come the three absolute top matches: Armon Orlik – Adrian Walther, Werner Schlegel – Fabian Staudenmann and Samuel Giger – Joel Wicki.
09:30 am
On the TV pitch, where the top pairings are lined up, there is a delay: the best have not even swung yet. Meanwhile, the other sawdust rings are already in second gear. Keeping track of everything is a Herculean task. In any case, the great talent from Bern, Michael Moser, wins his second fight after his defeat in the opening match.
09:26 am
The spectators cheer, the SRF commentators talk about a decision, the referee announces the result – in short: Nick Alpiger looks like the winner against Benjamin Gapany. But the table judges intervene, Alpiger had no grip. On the second attempt, the man from Aargau manages it after all.
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