"I'm running on fumes in January" Marco Odermatt is considering giving up the giant slalom

Marco Odermatt not only puts in an immense amount of work as a skier, but also off the slopes. His ability to recover quickly helps him. However, he does not rule out an adjustment to his racing calendar.

Marco Odermatt is relaxed in Copper Mountain, Colorado, ahead of the next World Cup races in Beaver Creek, around an hour's drive away. In an interview with Keystone-SDA, he talks about his many commitments, joining the sportswear company X-Bionic and the possibility of only competing in downhill and super-G one day.

Marco Odermatt, are you a numbers person?

Yes, I am.

Then I'll name three numbers that I'm sure mean something to you. Thirteen, thirty-seven, forty.

(Thinking)

Can you make sense of them?

I have thirty-seven victories in the World Cup. Forty would be the gold medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games. And thirteen giant slalom victories in a row. Or was it twelve?

The thirteen stands for the number of victories in the World Cup in the last two winters.

And in the giant slalom I have...

... twelve victories in a row. And the forty also stands for Pirmin Zurbriggen's World Cup victories, making him the Swiss record holder. Can you also tell us how many days you had off after last season?

What does "free" mean?

Days without commitments.

That wasn't too many days. There were even fewer this spring than before because I didn't have any "real" vacations and we traveled to Spain to see Alejo (Hervas, new fitness coach, editor's note) and started working with him earlier than I had expected. After that, fitness training was always on the agenda.

Was recovery not neglected?

No, I don't have that feeling. I actually recover very, very quickly. Of course there's a lot to do with appointments. But I can handle that well too.

All the things you have to do on the side show what you're capable of. Roger Federer is now also one of your friends.

It's a blessing and a curse for me. It opens doors, but also involves effort. I have chosen this path. I got used to this burden relatively early on. It's not as if I became an Olympic champion out of nowhere and then suddenly had a lot going on. I was already like that as a junior. Of course it hasn't gotten any less, but it doesn't feel like much, much more - and that's why it's manageable for me.

Speaking of Roger Federer: the connection to him is not just the joint advertising shots, but also the sport of tennis. You still found time to play interclub in the spring.

Aha, yes, as a substitute in our team because the dates worked out.

If we go back to the numbers. There are some that are not intended for the public. The amount of your investment in X-Bionic, for example, or the duration of the new contract with Red Bull. By joining X-Bionic, you were obviously already thinking about the time after your career.

Somehow it's obvious that you can say it's for the future. That sounds good. On the other hand, it's an opportunity brought about by sporting success, thanks to which you have money on the side that isn't needed today or tomorrow. You also get to feel the interest from partners that you can also bring them a lot. For a long time, it was goodwill on their part that benefited the athlete first and foremost. In the meantime, the sponsors also benefit a lot from me. Investing is once again something new and exciting.

I have another figure from the sporting world. Forty-two. They probably won't know what I mean by that.

(Laughs). Forty-two...

It's the days from the first giant slalom of the season to the one in Beaver Creek. You realize what I'm getting at. Is that too long a phase for you after the elimination in Sölden or do you not care? You said shortly afterwards that the whole thing was over.

We'll see in Beaver Creek whether it's over. It will probably be on your mind a little. I know that points are missing and that I need to score points now. This is a new situation for me. But I also see it as a challenge after three seasons of wearing the red start number of the World Cup leader from start to finish.

The weekend in Beaver Creek with three races is a good example in compact form of the strain that starting in three disciplines puts on you. Have there ever been times when you felt at the limit?

There have always been such times. Last December, for example, we raced five races in five days in Val Gardena/Gröden and Alta Badia. But also at the end of January with the emotions in Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel and straight on to Schladming and Garmisch - that's always the absolute limit. You notice that physically, but above all mentally. It always takes new energy to get into the racing rhythm.

Can you imagine skipping a race or two - or even giving up a discipline one day?

I have already skipped a few races. For example, the giant slalom in Schladming the season before last, but that was due to injury. Last winter, I wouldn't have traveled to Bansko if the previously scheduled races in Chamonix hadn't been canceled. I'm aware that I'll also be running on fumes this winter at the end of January - and then there's the World Championships. It's therefore possible that I won't be there in Schladming or Garmisch, or even both.

As far as the disciplines are concerned, I don't see my calendar changing for the next two seasons. There are three exciting years with the World Championships, Olympic Games and home World Championships. I want to continue competing in three disciplines. I'll think about what goals I want to achieve after that or how long I want to continue racing for later. I'll also think about whether I'll possibly only compete in speed.

Let's look a little less far ahead. The races in Kitzbühel are on the program in around two months' time. You have declared the downhill on the Streif as your primary goal. Doesn't that involve a certain risk?

No, anyone who looks at my results will come to the conclusion that victory is due anyway. There are many athletes who underestimate themselves. I'm not like that. It's logical that you're not satisfied with a fifth place in a career like this.

If you think about Kitzbühel, you can't get past Cyprien Sarrazin after last year. You definitely need the perfect run.

It doesn't really matter who can be fast in theory. If you want to win, you have to beat everyone anyway.

In the giant slalom, the situation is slightly different for you. If you deliver your normal performance, you'll be at the front. On the other hand, your competitors have to surpass themselves if they want to keep up with you.

Difficult to say. That's been the case recently - at least as far as the rankings are concerned. But if you take a closer look, I've won half of them by a narrow margin. I may have used up some of the luck that I lacked in Sölden recently. That's why I don't see myself as dominant as my winning streak would suggest.

Finally, I have another number. One thousand eight hundred and nineteen. Just to help: calculated from today, Thursday (day of the interview, editor).

(Ponders again for a long time). One thousand eight hundred and nineteen...

That's how many days it's been since your first World Cup victory around five years ago in the super-G in Beaver Creek.

Ah, okay. You're good. That many days already?

In Beaver Creek you also came second three times recently, always behind Aleksander Kilde. If you still know the gaps now, I take my hat off.

Three years ago I won the first super-G with a clear lead, in the second I was very close behind. Three hundredths...

That's right.

Two years ago, I think the gap in the downhill was six hundredths...

Very good. That's right. And in the super-G?

Nineteen hundredths.

Almost. Twenty hundredths. You convinced me. You're a numbers person.

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