Loïc Meillard announced his ambitions with convincing performances in the second half of last season. The latest setback at the start of this winter should not change his goals.
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- Loïc Meillard has to miss the season opener in Sölden at short notice due to severe back pain.
- On the same day, examinations at the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich revealed a tear in the sheath of the intervertebral disc between vertebrae L5 and S1.
- With a view to the slalom in Levi, he says at the beginning of the week that a start only makes sense if he no longer feels any pain between the gates. On Friday, he let it be known that he would be competing in Finland.
- Last season, he finished second in the overall World Cup rankings behind Marco Odermatt. He is therefore Odermatt's biggest rival in the battle for the big crystal globe.
These are images with a long-term effect, images that don't come along very often in alpine ski racing. There were two of them of Loïc Meillard last winter, three in fact. Of Meillard losing a ski during the run, let down by the new binding he helped develop himself. In the giant slalom in Sölden and in Adelboden, then also in downhill training in Wengen. Pictures from someone for whom pictures mean something, who has made photography his second great passion, who captures moments that allow him to catch his breath, to stand still, to gain some distance.
"Less pleasant pictures are also part of it. They are also part of the story," says Meillard. He's not talking about the snapshots from last season. He is talking about photos that show him again at the end of October on the Rettenbach glacier above Sölden, looking sad after realizing that his back pain was too severe for him to start at the start of the World Cup and World Championship winter. The photos were taken by his family, including his sister Mélanie.
The mishap happened during the run-in. On the same day, examinations at the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich revealed a tear in the shell of the intervertebral disc between vertebrae L5 and S1. Meillard also says that what he had experienced twelve months earlier helped him to come to terms with the latest setback. This has helped him all the more, especially as the situation is new to him; he has largely escaped more serious physical damage so far. His thin medical file includes a meniscus injury suffered almost eight years ago.
Skis gone, confidence gone
Along with his skis, Meillard also lost confidence in the previous winter. It took some time before he was ready to ski freely again, to push himself to the limit. The constant questions about his self-confidence gnawed at him. "It makes you tired. It takes energy." It took until the second half of the season, which was all the more successful for him, in which he won two races, finished second four times and third once. The points he collected lifted him to second place in the overall World Cup standings behind Marco Odermatt. After a delay, the highly talented athlete had lived up to the expectations, including his own.
The high has pleasant side effects. They bring serenity, they take pressure off Meillard's shoulders. The success has restored his self-confidence and trust in the material. The healing in his back, which has progressed as hoped, is also reassuring. Nevertheless, Meillard has not rushed into a decision regarding his start in the first World Cup slalom of the winter in Levi and has also taken his time in this regard. "But it only makes sense to start if I no longer feel any pain between the gates in training," he said at the start of the week. On Friday, he announced that he would compete in the race in Finland on Sunday.
Meillard has once again taken it day by day - that's how he has always kept it, that's how he keeps it in his everyday professional life, that's how he describes his path when a possible duel with Odermatt for the big crystal globe is discussed. Looking ahead to the new season, the man from central Switzerland calls Meillard his biggest rival.
Meillard is ignoring thoughts of the possibility of stepping out of Odermatt's overlong shadow. He is just as unconcerned by the spotlight primarily directed at the man from Nidwalden as he is by the question of a possible lack of recognition. "I do this sport because I want to, because I like it, because I love it. That's important to me."
Meillard also says that he focuses on the individual races. The one leads to the other. "If I'm always at the front, that's also possible in the overall World Cup." Yes, he is ready for the challenge. Yes, he is convinced that he can also beat Odermatt. "As an athlete, you believe in your chances. That's what we train for in summer and winter." Meillard does not attach any importance to the fact that his great opponent is a teammate and good friend. "When I'm at the start, he's a competitor like any other."
The downhill will have to wait
Like competitor, team-mate and friend Odermatt, Meillard is also one of the best in three disciplines. He has giant slalom, slalom and super-G on his agenda. This is not set to change in the near future. The downhill will only become an issue on the day "when I have achieved my goals in the slalom or when I need a new challenge," says Meillard. These goals are to win the discipline World Cup and a medal at a major event.
They are the goals of a skier whose potential is far from exhausted, who is constantly pushing forward with his development and who is also trying to adapt his skiing style to achieve this. "I've been working on approaching the gates more directly for two years." Meillard is willing to shed his reputation as a "nice rider" and be more aggressive.
The change should have a long-term effect. And be captured in pictures, of course.
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