Before the Lauberhorn: Why are the Swiss the kings of downhill this winter?

Before Saturday’s downhill in Wengen, Switzerland achieved a solid success in the premier discipline since the start of winter: three races and three doubles! But how can we explain such results? For Justin Murisier, several elements must be taken into account. “We have to give credit to Swiss-Ski,” said the Valaisan in particular.

Swiss alpine skiing is currently going through a prosperous period. In 32 races contested – men and women combined – since the start of winter, the country’s delegation has already placed its athletes 29 times on a World Cup podium.

In men’s downhill, the results are even more frightening. In the first three events that took place, Switzerland simply scored three doubles: Justin Murisier won ahead of Marco Odermatt at Beaver Creek. The latter beat Franjo von Allmen in Val Gardena, while Alexis Monney once again beat the young Bernese in Bormio.

These exceptional results allow these four men to occupy the first four places in the discipline ranking before the descent of the Lauberhorn on Saturday in Wengen. But how can we explain such success?

“We must give credit to Swiss-Ski and to the coaches who, for a good ten years, have set up this structure which allows young people to reach the top, especially at speed,” said Justin Murisier during a press briefing Wednesday in the Berne station. “We feel that it is bearing fruit on all the young people who were in the speed group with Franz Heinzer in the European Cup at the time.”

“It’s easier to have talent than in the Netherlands”

For Bagnard, Switzerland also benefits from its position and the great interest in this sport. “It’s a whole. The country is mainly in the Alps, so it’s a bit easier to get talent than in the Netherlands, for example. It’s the number one sport. Swiss-ski worked well to have good sponsors and to have a good financial base in order to be able to support young people with a very broad base,” he explained.

“We avoid losing talent. There are some who take longer than others to get to the top, but we are all very well supported. This is not the case in all nations. In some of them, it is stricter. When it doesn’t work for a season or two, you are quickly removed from management and that ultimately demotivates a lot of people,” compared the 33-year-old skier.

Murisier recalls, however, that the element of “luck” in the face of currently weakened competition and the fact of “having a guy like Marco Odermatt” also play a role. “He’s still there. It’s true that it allows us to breathe when we achieve poor results. Nobody takes care of us, but we shouldn’t count on that either. In the last races, the guys managed to perform well and show that the Swiss team is not just Marco Odermatt,” insisted the winner of the Beaver Creek downhill.

The comeback of French-speaking skiing

Furthermore, it should also be noted that skiers like Justin Murisier, Alexis Monney and Arnaud Boisset have allowed Romandie to regain a place of choice in speed disciplines. Since the retirements of Didier Cuche and Didier Défago, the good results in these events were almost exclusively the work of athletes from beyond Sarine.

“Our team is very strong, both with French-speaking and German-speaking athletes. Our origin doesn’t change anything, we are all good friends and it’s cool that it happens like this,” remarked Marco Odermatt.

With such a density of Swiss skiers capable of playing leading roles, the public can dream big before Saturday’s descent. But one question remains: which side of the Röstigraben will succeed in the game? “I hope that a Swiss-German or myself will win,” joked a somewhat chauvinistic Odermatt.