Werner Heel is now pulling the strings behind the scenes

Werner Heel took part in 204 World Cup races in his career, climbing to the podium 10 times and even reaching the top three times. To date, he is the last South Tyrolean to win a race in Val Gardena, namely the Super-G in 3. When the Passeir speed specialist said goodbye to the ski circus in spring 2008, he was proud of his 2019-year-old Looking back on his World Cup career. But the question soon arose for him too: What's next for my life?

About a year and a half have passed since then. And Heel has found a job in which he thrives: He is now working as a talent scout for the renowned ski brand Atomic, and he also looks after young Italian talents who are already skiing with Atomic. “After my career ended, I took a year off. During this time I took my trainer's exam and later got a taste of this business during a few training sessions. After that, I actually prepared for what I’ve been doing since January 1, 2020,” explains Heel. From speed star to talent scout He himself has ridden with Atomic equipment for many years of his career, so it was no surprise when the management of the Austrian sporting goods manufacturer contacted Heel. “I have a wealth of experience in the ski sector and know what the athletes need,” said the 38-year-old, who describes himself as the “man for everything”. “I am in charge of the entire youth division of the Atomic brand in Italy, I am responsible for ordering materials and supplying our talents, I work a lot with the dealers and pass on the feedback from the athletes and ideas for further development to the manufacturers,” explains Heel.

Atomic and Werner Heel – that fits.

In addition, and this is a very exciting part, he is responsible for attracting promising talent to Atomic. “I travel a lot at European Cup and FIS races and training sessions,” says Heel, who has also been able to lure two well-known athletes. Last year he steered the South Tyrolean hopefuls Alexander Prast and Florian Schieder to Atomic. “I would be interested in coaching, but only when the cards are reshuffled.” Werner Heel However, one cannot avoid one question: Wouldn't Heel be interested in shaping the rough diamonds himself as a coach? “If you leave the ski circus as an athlete and go straight back in as a coach, you will see the same people as before. Personally, I don’t feel like working with them,” says Heel, alluding to the friction he had with some FISI personnel towards the end of his career (among other things, the speed runner was also kicked out of the national team).

“But: If the cards are reshuffled at some point, I would be very interested in a coaching job. Working as head coach of the Italian national team in the speed disciplines would really be something. But we’re talking about a time after the 2026 Olympics.” Who has what it takes to be a star? Heel, who currently lives with his girlfriend and former ski star Manuela Mölgg mainly in St. Vigil and partly in Merano, feels right at home in his new role at Atomic. As a talent scout, the Passirian also has to have a good eye - so who will be setting the tone in the Ski World Cup in the next few years? “Recently, numerous young athletes have shown who will shape an era. I'm thinking of a Lucas Braathen or an Aleksander Aamodt Kilde," says Heel, who says of the South Tyrol camp: "The broad masses like ours - when 4 or 5 athletes were able to consistently make it into the top 10 - are not there at the moment . But that can change sooner or later. I think we have to have a Schieder, a Prast, a Nicol and Nadia Delago on the bill in the future.”

Will there ever be a new Marcel Hirscher in the World Cup? “Sooner or later someone is sure to come. There have always been and will always be such exceptional talents. The best example is Formula 1: After Schumacher's dominance, Lewis Hamilton has now ushered in a new era of success. And someone will come after him.”

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Werner Heel is now pulling the strings behind the scenes

A year and a half ago, Werner Heel put his skis away after a successful career. But the Passirian has not left the ski circus. Rather, he is now working behind the scenes.

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