Christof Innerhofer: “Success is only one side of my job”

He's become quieter lately. The once permanent beaming smile has given way to many thoughtful moments. Yesterday, too, Christof Innerhofer had to sit down after downhill training in Kitzbühel before he decided to analyze his current situation.

The numbers speak for themselves: Christof Innerhofer competed in 303 World Cup races at the top level in his 16-year career. But: The last time he was in the top 10 was 16 races ago - that was ninth in the Kitzbühel Downhill 2022, a year ago. Since then he has fluctuated between places 17 and 42 - a humiliating situation for a man who has won 6 World Cup races (the last one was 10 years ago) and was last on the podium 4 years ago.

If his name weren't Christof Innerhofer: “I don't define myself by results. Success is only one side of my job. The other is my passion, my love for skiing and training. I could ride down the Streif every day, I also go to the weight room every day or get on a racing bike to log as many kilometers as possible. Hopefully this passion will never go away, not even after my ski career.” “I’ve had a bad feeling about driving for a few weeks.” Christoph Innerhofer Of course, Innerhofer wasn't happy with his training ride yesterday. 2,50 seconds behind Ryan Cochran-Siegle is not within limits on the Streif. “It was a comfortable ride, nothing more. I tried a new binding and a new shoe, but it didn't fit.” Innerhofer believes that it is precisely on this route, where he has finished in the top 18 10 times (but no victory), that he will flip the switch this weekend He doesn't: “The icy conditions are actually mine, but I'm not giving a damn about it at the moment. I've had a bad feeling when driving for a few weeks now, I'm not relaxed and I'm also unable to release the handbrake."

What the 38-year-old is getting at: “It’s not the skiing. I regularly set best times in training and am also faster than Mattia Casse, who skis the same brand of skis as me and has already achieved two podium places this year.”

What's the point then? “Definitely in my head. I showed that I can do it in the training runs: 7th in Lake Louise, 2nd in Beaver Creek, 1st in Bormio, 7th in Wengen - there I showed on slopes that were like highways in the first training session , what I am capable of. If the race gets rougher and tougher, nothing will work.”

Criticism leaves him cold He denies that Christof Innerhofer questions his sporting abilities. “I drive for myself, for no one else. That's why the reviews I hear leave me cold. I can still ski very fast, even if I can’t translate it into racing at the moment.”

The fact that Innerhofer is always trying out something new has given him the reputation of being an “over-inventor”. He says no: “Domme Paris also changed something before the Wengen races and immediately went back to the top. There is always something to improve, why should I stop there?”

Christof Innerhofer has been a long-time favorite at the World Ski Championships since 2007. His great moments at the 2011 title fights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he picked up a set of medals (1st Super-G, 2nd Combined, 3rd Downhill), will never be forgotten. There is a great risk that he will not be part of the team in France in 2023. The last time he had to miss the World Cup was in 2017 due to a broken fibula. “In my current condition I have no place at a World Cup,” “Inner” doesn’t beat around the bush for long. “Last year I finished in the top 5 twice at the World Cup final in Courchevel despite a bad knee in training, and anything is possible in a race. But I certainly wouldn’t have a problem if I wasn’t nominated.”

And if at the end of the season or in 2024 there isn't even enough for a place in the national team? “Then I’ll continue training on my own. There are top private teams these days with which to prepare for the season. Then I'll join the national team in the fall and qualify for the World Cups there. I’m not done yet.”

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Christof Innerhofer: “Success is only one side of my job”

Christof Innerhofer has competed in an incredible 303 World Cup races in his career so far. But he has never been so far behind the world leaders. That's why the question arises: What's next for the multiple Olympic and World Cup medalist?

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