Manager Michael Schiendorfer (56) has accompanied Marco Odermatt's rise from nobody to national skiing pride. "Marco is an incredibly kind person," says Schiendorfer and tells a touching story.
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- Michael Schiendorfer manages decathlete Simon Ehammer, wrestling king Joel Wicki and, since 2016, ski superstar Marco Odermatt.
- Odermatt made a big impression on him when they first met in 2016, says Schiendorfer. "He was very reflective and gave a lot of thought."
- Schiendorfer, who accompanied Odermatt's rise from nobody to national skiing pride, raves about the person behind the athlete and tells a moving story.
Michael Schiendorfer knows the big world of sport and marketing. He manages decathlete Simon Ehammer, wrestling king Joel Wicki - and Marco Odermatt, the dominator of the last few World Cup years in skiing. The Central Swiss skier has claimed three overall World Cup victories alone: in Beijing and Courchevel, Odermatt was also crowned world champion in the downhill and giant slalom and winner of the Olympic downhill. The 27-year-old's palmares? Growing from winter to winter.
Communications expert Schiendorfer was previously a manager at ABB and was adept at dealing with experts in their field - but Odermatt amazed him from the very first second, as he explains. In September 2016, Schiendorfer sat opposite "Odi" for the first time, in his parents' living room. "Everyone was straightforward, we spent three hours talking to the family about God, the world and skiing. It was also very impressive to hear the questions Marco asked me. What was my background? How do I feel about career planning?" These are very unusual questions for a young lad of just 18 or 19, says Schiendorfer.
And Schiendorfer notices one thing in particular: "That he is very reflective and thinks a lot." And he is not afraid to ask questions. Odermatt asked bluntly: "Hey, can you get me certain sums of money?" Odermatt makes it clear to his future manager that he knows exactly what it takes to get to the top. Keyword: training facilities, a physio. "As I said, the fact that someone is dealing with figures at such a young age and dares to ask these questions - that's impressive."
"Down-to-earth, likeable, kind"
Schiendorfer has accompanied Odermatt's rise from nobody to national skiing pride. Has he changed in that time? "Hopefully he has changed. He was already very advanced for his age back then and I would say he is really impressively mature for his age today. I think he's even more mature."
The fact that people have been at Odermatt's side since the start of his World Cup career, the service man or the mental coach, can also be seen as clear proof of Odermatt's decent, correct treatment of his fellow competitors. Schiendorfer says: "It's a wonderful thing when you can work with people in this way, but it requires a great deal of mutual trust." And Odermatt can trust.
His good manners are also evident in his dealings with the media - who can sometimes pester athletes. Schiendorfer says: "Marco is incredibly down-to-earth and an incredibly likeable and kind person." The journalists also sense this.
"One woman wrote: My husband has five days to live"
An episode could not express this more clearly than Schiendorfer's characterization. It originates from a touching letter from the wife of a great Odermatt fan, who was already severely marked by illness and whom even the doctors, who had previously fought for him, had given up on. "She wrote: 'My husband has five days to live and he wants to see Marco again. Something like that can also put a strain on a young man. But Marco still met the man. And those are the kind of moments that make you incredibly proud, even as a friend and manager. But Marco just does it. Unfortunately, the man actually died a few days later." But at least he was able to exchange a few words with his great idol.
