Daniel Grassl against Jannik Sinner

The Mebo is almost like his second home. Daniel Grassl probably knows every meter of the four-lane connection between Bozen and Meran by heart. The Merano native trains in Neumarkt and is on his way to becoming world class. In figure skating. Of course, that's just his luck. He has found the sport that suits him and allows him to make the most of his talent. He was already fourth at the last European Championships, which were held in Graz in 2020, just two points short of his first medal. After all, he already ran the second best free program, although he still made a mistake in the short program.

But now - with his high school diploma in his pocket - he is able to reduce the uncertainties that can hardly be avoided in figure skating to a minimum. And now the first medal in a Grand Prix competition organized by the International Ice Skating Union (ISU) has been secured. He came third in Turin. It is more than a respectable success, as one number makes clear: With 95,67 points, he achieved the highest mark ever achieved by an Italian runner in the short program. The sound limit of 100 points is only a touch away. In the free skate he showed three quadruple jumps and he also showed great progress in his running. And he has long since qualified for the Olympic Games in Beijing and, optimistically, a place just behind the medal ranks is possible. Yes, who knows, maybe even more. But the ice is very thin in this scene. Comparisons are difficult By the way, Daniel Grassl is still a year younger than Jannik Sinner, whose popularity in South Tyrol is now breaking boundaries. Unlike Grassl, the tennis crack is of course omnipresent. Almost every shot at every tournament is analyzed, and his meteoric rise has long been filling the sports pages of the “Dolomites” almost every day. However, a comparison between the two youngsters is difficult and perhaps even impossible, because of course Sinner competes in a sport that is constantly present on various TV channels. And Sinner is always in constant direct comparison with the best in his profession. Inevitably. System-related.

Jannik Sinner has long been a topic of conversation at the regulars' tables in South Tyrol. © APA/afp / VLADIMIR SIMICEK

Grassl, on the other hand, fights alone for every point and quite rarely, because even in winter, the actually icy season, his appearances are rare, which is also due to the competition calendar. He had two possible appearances at Grand Prix events, in which only 12 athletes are allowed to start. He noticed her. In Las Vegas (USA) he came seventh and, as I said, third in Turin. Now he has to hope that these placements are enough for the Grand Prix final. But of course that is not discussed nearly as intensively as the opportunity that Jannik Sinner had to compete in the ATP finals in Turin. The native of Pustertal (Sexten), who now lives in Monte Carlo (it is simply warmer there for longer than at the foot of the “Three Peaks”), worked for this every week. This logically increases public perception. Only Carolina Kostner arouses interest Sinner has long been an intensive and regular topic of conversation at regulars' tables in South Tyrol. When you mention the name Daniel Grassl, however, you get a rather quiet, very quiet silence. Interest is only aroused when the name Carolina Kostner, the ice princess from Val Gardena, who was world champion and won a series of titles at European Championships and also won the Olympic bronze medal in Sochi, is mentioned. A figure skater, then. Sure, it's not a popular sport and it still seems strange to some people. It is pure artistry combined with a high level of aesthetics that Daniel Grassl and his colleagues offer. Jannik Sinner is currently the eleventh best tennis player in the world according to the ATP rankings. The man from Meran, on the other hand, is currently in fifth place in the ISU world rankings 2020/2021. An exclamation mark is appropriate. However, not all world-class athletes have yet completed their GP appearances.

But Grassl is at about the same level in his industry as Sinner is in his, but he will probably only be able to step out of Sinner's shadow for a short time if he wins a medal in Beijing or if he actually makes the impossible possible can: He is planning a jump with five revolutions around the longitudinal axis of the body. The landing isn't perfect yet, he's only managed four and a half revolutions so far, but he's fighting for the chance to be the first figure skater in the world to master such an unprecedented difficulty. He has to do this in an official competition, which is probably of secondary importance at the moment given the preparation for the Olympic Games in Beijing. What is certain is that South Tyrolean sports fans are being spoiled by what is happening on the tennis courts and in the ice arenas around the world: from Jannik Sinner (20) and Daniel Grassl (19), a new generation that is still only at the beginning of its development . The future looks good. For both.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Hockey

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Daniel Grassl against Jannik Sinner

Two young South Tyrolean athletes are currently causing a sensation in their respective sports. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich made the almost impossible attempt to compare Daniel Grassl and Jannik Sinner.

Suggestions

Comments (0)