Janik Riebli's unconventional preparation for the season is paying off. The alpine cross-country skier is on the World Cup podium for the second time.
31.12.2024, 04:30
31.12.2024, 06:45
SDA
Confirmation has finally come. Janik Riebli waved from the podium in third place on Saturday after the sprint at the start of the Tour de Ski. An athlete who has only stood on the podium once in his career is in danger of being labeled a one-day wonder. Now, after almost two years, he has made up for this.
The now 26-year-old from Obwalden had already finished third once in Livigno in January 2023 on an almost flat sprint course and partly without the competition, which was still exhausted from the Tour de Ski. Since then, things have gone backwards. Last season, during his trip to North America, he still managed 6th and 4th place, but overall the winter did not go according to plan.
Mental hole
Riebli, a farmer through and through, who moved from the canton of Obwalden to Davos in phases at the age of 16 in order to realize himself in sport, had fallen into a mental hole. In the summer of 2023, he had invested more in cross-country skiing than ever before, but felt empty in the fall. "The monotonous training as a professional got to me. I felt useless and dissatisfied. I missed the summer activity in the Alps," he said in the run-up to the season in Lenzerheide. "Just a sports environment, just training and regeneration - that's too boring for me."
Last summer, Riebli therefore made up for what he had neglected to do the year before. He spent almost a month as an Alpine herdsman on the Jänzmatt above Sörenberg near the Glaubenbielen Pass. He was finally able to pursue his second great passion again.
"Life as an Alpine herdsman gives me a lot," he emphasizes. "It's my work-life balance. If you can do something with passion, it gives you energy back. If you have something in your head that distracts you, it gives you energy back."
In addition to milking, making cheese and herding cattle, two training sessions were also part of the farmer's daily work schedule. During thunderstorms, Riebli was sometimes working with the excavator until after midnight. Nevertheless, the next day brought 14 hours of work plus a few training sessions. Whatever the case, Riebli was always happy to get down to work. A passion also creates suffering - and still gives you energy.
The assignment on the alp was not initially planned for a long time. Riebli had already been working on the Jänzmatt for a few days when an employee had an accident on Saturday. It was clear to the sportsman that he would not abandon his father. And it is already clear: Riebli junior will also move to the alp before the Olympic season.
The coach agrees
The path taken by the athlete from Giswil has probably left some coaches shaking their heads. His coach Eric Braten, on the other hand, has not vetoed it, says Riebli, adding: "Maybe he didn't agree. He spoke to me about it in English, and I don't speak English very well."
The coach from Norway appears on the media panel a little later and, when asked about the "Älpler", says that you always have to keep the whole picture in mind. "If I forbid Valerio Grond to spend the week at the beginning of September hunting in Graubünden, it would make him very unhappy. It's the same with Janik. This time on the alp is very important to him. It's a great mental boost for him."
