Simon Maurberger: “There were days when I wanted to give up everything”

In the World Cup you were ranked between 15 and 30 for a long time, until you suddenly appeared inspired at the beginning of this year and landed in the top ten three times. How did this soaring come about? “I've changed a few things recently. I have become more relaxed, no longer spend days struggling with my mistakes and instead prepare more consciously for the next tasks. I also changed a few things about my setup before Christmas, which gave me a lot of momentum. I have a clear upward trend.”

“My goal has to be to regularly finish in the top 5” So the top results are not a snapshot? "No. I am convinced that I have turned the right buttons to consistently be at the forefront. My goal for the future must be to establish myself in the front starting group and to regularly finish in the top 5.”

With 8th place in the parallel giant slalom in Chamonix, you were very close to this goal. But this race of all things had fatal consequences for you. How often do you think back to the fall? “On the way home from Chamonix, I watched the scene several times on video and analyzed it in detail – even though it was very difficult for me. Since then it has been ticked off. Today I can look at the pictures without batting an eyelid.”

Her fall caused an outcry in the paddock. Some stars took the opportunity to plead for more safety. Are you happy about this support? “Yes, these messages were very good. Alexis Pinturault is one of the spokesmen on this matter, he sent me a very nice text message with well wishes. This shows the solidarity in the paddock. It was rare in the past for athletes to unite like this and raise their voices to the FIS.”

Do you agree with the criticism of the world association? “There are points that definitely need to be improved. It can't be the case that our season starts in October, then there is a long gap in order to cram one classic after another into the program in January. This poses a great risk of injury. In the meantime, however, a democratic path has been taken where everyone involved is looking for a good solution. This process shows that athletes are no longer immature figures who have to jump at the will of a few.”

“I remain a big fan of parallel racing” Has the serious injury changed your opinion about the parallel competitions? “In no way, I remain a huge fan of parallel racing! But it will probably take some time until the perfect middle ground is found to satisfy athletes, organizers and fans.”

However, your career highlight so far was in a classic slalom, the one in Schladming. What made this day so special for you? “Last year I was enormously impressed by the huge crowd in Schladming. I was really nervous - and then promptly dropped out. Afterwards I went to the trendy restaurant Tenne with a friend, watched the second race there and thought: How cool it would be to be at the front. Just one year later, this dream came true with fifth place. I approached it like a normal race and was relatively relaxed in the starting house. That helped me.”

© Pentaphoto" data-fancybox="inline-65627" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2020/06/maurberger-bei-der-zieldurchfahrt-in-schladming-am-ende-stand-ihm-mit-platz-5-das-beste-ergebnis-seiner-karriere-zu-buche.jpg"> Maurberger crossing the finish line in Schladming. In the end, he had the best result of his career with 5th place. © Pentaphoto

What makes Schladming so fascinating? “It's not necessarily the atmosphere at the edge of the piste, because it's also great at other races like in Madonna or the classics in Switzerland. The big difference is that in Schladming the stadium announcer is extremely loud. It is the only race where you can hear the split times while driving. That can really push you, especially on a good ride, as was the case for me this winter.”

Will we see you back in the starting house at the start of the season in Sölden in October? “I want to be back on skis in August and start preparing for the season. I work very hard every day for this goal. The first time after the injury was not easy. I just had the feeling that nothing was going on. I first had to learn how to deal with such a setback.”

“Manni Mölgg supported me enormously” How did you manage to get yourself out of the hole? “There were days when I felt like giving up everything. But luckily I can count them on one hand. I completed some of the rehab together with Manni Mölgg, whose knee injury was a little different than mine; things went faster for him. That wasn't easy for me. But he always preached patience to me and supported me so much. I have become more relaxed and at the same time more focused. I can now easily complete eight to ten exercise sessions a week.”

What do you do when you're not training? “I just enjoy being at home. Apart from one or two spontaneous weekend trips, I won't be going on vacation either. I planted a vegetable patch with my sister and spend a lot of time gardening. I’m also reading a lot at the moment.”

Which book are you currently reading? “My service man gave me the book 'Leadership e autoinganno' and I devoured it within two weeks. It's about self-control, emotions and consciousness. So all things that are of great importance in sport and that I will try to implement in the coming winter. Because then I want to be the Simon Maurberger again that I was at the time of my injury in February.”

Questions: Alexander Foppa

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Simon Maurberger: “There were days when I wanted to give up everything”

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