TV: Benjamin Gapany, first crown appointment of the season, first title. We can say that this is a promising start.
Benjamin Gapany: Winning these crown parties early in the season is a good way to gauge form. Even if there have already been a few regional festivals at the very start of the season, it is clear that the canton of Friborg, as Gruériens, is always keen to win it.
And you won it without even going through the final pass, which ended in a draw between the guest Matthias Aeschbacher and the Lacois Lario Kramer.
The final pass is not an extra pass, it is the best two after five passes. Since I was at the same point as Aeschbacher, and then I won my last pass at maximum score, if he won, we would have tied. But they drew, and I passed them.
Let’s go back to your performance. You won five passes and only one draw, precisely against Matthias Aeschbacher. Is he the only one who managed to put obstacles in your way?
Yes, he is a very strong wrestler. He was in the final of the last federal wrestling party against Joel Wicki. I’ve already fought him twice, and I lost. There, being able to draw a draw and put it in danger two or three times is a good testimony to my form.
What are your ambitions for this season then?
I attend eleven crown parties in total. There is the Romande in Riaz on July 14, which I would like to win because my club organizes it. Otherwise, there are the festivals at Lac Noir or Brünig for French-speaking people. These are big meetings where I want to arrive in good shape. And then, there is no federal celebration, but at the end of the season, there will be that of the jubilee of the 125 years of the federal association in Appenzell, where there will be the best wrestlers in Switzerland. A party where there is no crown, but where we want to succeed and be as high as possible in the rankings.
