The new leader that no one wants to be

He is one of the quiet ones in the ski circuit. Wordless, but still a man of clear words. Someone who was used to standing in the second row when his teammates Christof Innerhofer, Dominik Paris and Peter Fill were in the spotlight. But because he is a man with great endurance, patience and an unshakable belief in himself, Mattia Casse has now reached the front row himself. The 2-year-old from Oulx in Piedmont, who now lives in Bergamo, showed with two downhill podiums (1rd in Val Gardena and Wengen) that he was beaten 32 World Cup races short.

He doesn't want to emphasize the fact that the junior world champion was often thwarted by controversial coaching decisions in the 2010 downhill, but also suffered several serious injuries. “I’m no longer interested in what happened. “I prefer to look forward,” he says, blocking a question about his controversial non-nomination for the 2022 Olympics. And he has long since put aside the fact that before the 2019 World Ski Championships in Sweden he didn't know whether he was nominated or not (he was).

Mattia Casse celebrates third place in Wengen. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

But three screws that hold his tibia head together in his right leg are a daily reality. Casse suffered this injury in March 3 in Kvitfjell. But he quickly got fit and, as he says, he drives with absolutely no problems.

Skiing is in the blood Mattia Casse is the son of former speed skier Alessandro Casse, who set a then new world record in 1973 with 184,237 km/h. He was his son's most important supporter until his death in December 2021. The tears that Mattia Casse shed live on television after the first podium finish of his career in Val Gardena a month ago when he dedicated the result to his parents are unforgettable.

He attributes the fact that Casse made a big leap in quality despite his not so young age to three reasons: “I changed material in the summer (from Head to Rossignol), we have a great climate in the downhill team and I have a new mental coach who helps me “But: Casse does not see himself as the leader of the young downhill group except for Matteo Marsaglia and Christof Innerhofer. “We are a team, there are no leaders.”

Casse attributes the cohesion in the “Azzurri” speed team to the fact that a new head coach, Lorenzo Galli, is in charge. Alberto Ghidoni has been looking after Dominik Paris single-handedly since last summer. Casse is convinced that this has released new impulses. Galli is supported by Adam Peraudo, Christian Corradino, but also Patrick Staudacher and physiotherapist Einar Prucker.

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The new leader that no one wants to be

He is the new strong man in the Italian downhill team and has already achieved two podium finishes this season. And that after 170 World Cup races without a podium.

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