Yanick Gunsch (right) won a World Championship medal with Jole Galli. © ANSA / GIAN EHRENZELLER

Yanick Gunsch: Bricklayer in summer, World Cup hero in winter

Yanick Gunsch sensationally won bronze in the mixed team event at the Ski Cross World Championships in Engadin. Two days later, we spoke in detail with the Upper Vinschgau native about it.

March 24, 2025

From: dl

Together with the Italian Jole Galli, Gunsch won on Saturday Bronze in the mixed team event. The Matscher only learned of his nomination on Friday evening at 17 p.m. "First through our WhatsApp group," Gunsch explained in an interview with SportNewsThe 28-year-old crowns the best winter of his life after standing on the World Cup podium for the first time this year at Reiteralm.

"The quarterfinals and semifinals went perfectly for me. I made a mistake in the final, but Jole saved us," said the down-to-earth Gunsch. Also present in Switzerland were his family, his fan club, and his girlfriend, former ski racer Verena Gasslitter. Accordingly, it was a kind of home race for Gunsch.

Yanick Gunsch (far left) won bronze in mixed ski cross at the World Championships. © ANSA / GIAN EHRENZELLER

The ceremony afterward was special because it took place on a festival stage with the snowboarders. Meanwhile, DJs got the partygoers pumped up. "It's an incredible achievement that I'm only slowly beginning to realize," said Gunsch, who competed in his very first World Championships in St. Moritz.

Gunsch's hard everyday life

Gunsch is no ordinary South Tyrolean winter sports athlete, as he can't count on the support of a sports group and can only practice ski cross in his free time. The Upper Vinschgau native is employed by a civil engineering company in Müstair, Switzerland, where he works from April to November before traveling with the national ski cross team in the winter.

An older photo: Yanick Gunsch helps out on his parents' farm this summer. © yanick_gunsch

"In contrast to summer, winter almost feels like a vacation (laughs). Summer is often extremely tough," explained Gunsch. The man from the Vinschgau valley gets up before 6 a.m. to head across the border. After 9,5 hours of physical labor, he often does strength and conditioning training at home. He does this at ProActive in Mals.

“In contrast to summer, winter almost feels like a vacation.” Yanick Gunsch

Gunsch also helps out on his father's farm in the summer. That leaves him with virtually no free time – not even on weekends. Cycling and mountaineering are also on the agenda; after all, he needs to stay fit for the winter. "But I'll keep this going until the 2026 Olympics," Gunsch explained. This would be the crowning achievement of a very special career.