Number 777 in the RTL

Returning skier Hirscher has to start from scratch again

Marcel Hirscher wants to return to the World Cup.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Marcel Hirscher is at the beginning of his second career as an alpine ski racer. For the time being, the multiple record holder in this discipline cannot compete in the World Cup, primarily due to FIS regulations. However, the 35-year-old entrepreneur's fitness and ambition would not be a problem, according to his companions. But is a return to the top of the world even conceivable for the Dutchman with a passport or is it just a marketing move?

For Marko Pfeifer, it is clear that Hirscher still has what it takes to be at the top. "It goes without saying that he hasn't forgotten how to ski," said Austria's men's head coach. "I also know that Marcel has been constantly training his fitness, that he has been skiing all the time. It will of course be an issue of the starting number," the Carinthian knows. "But I would say that if Marcel gets to a level where he has the start number again in the World Cup, then I also assume that he will be able to ski at the front again."

Marko Pfeifer

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Currently, World Cup starts would not be possible for Hirscher due to the FIS rules. After five seasons as a retired skier, whose FIS status was officially set to inactive and who has not achieved any results, he is almost starting from scratch again.

Herculean task
The qualification standards for World Cup races are evaluated before each season and then apply throughout the winter. Last year, only the top 150 on the FIS points list in the respective discipline had the right to start. In the last April list for the 2023/24 season, Hirscher is ranked 300th in slalom and 777th in giant slalom. As soon as the change of nation has actually been officially completed and the Salzburg native is considered an active athlete again, a Herculean task awaits him if he wants to work his way forward decisively.

Start at "home" European Championships?
FIS races are particularly suitable for this, as they are usually where young athletes gain racing experience. There are plenty of them during the season, at a wide variety of venues. The slope conditions are usually far removed from World Cup standards. It all starts in the (European) summer in New Zealand and South America. At these races, Hirscher would have to put his name down several times to get his World Cup license back. At major events, however, the criteria are less strict - opening the door for the 2025 home World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

"If anyone can do it, then Marcel is the only one who can be trusted to do it," said Felix Neureuther, who is also convinced that his long-time companion and buddy can make a successful comeback. "When Marcel is at the start, he wants to deliver," said the most successful German World Cup athlete. The Bavarian emphasized that he does not believe that Hirscher mainly has a marketing campaign in mind.

Felix Neureuther (l.) and his buddy Marcel Hirscher

(Bild: Servus TV)

Hirscher's company announced in a press release that he wanted to "combine his enjoyment of racing with his professional task of testing and further developing equipment for his ski brand Van Deer-Red Bull Sports". The joy of racing was mentioned remarkably often by the protagonists on Wednesday - although Hirscher had repeatedly stated after his retirement in 2019 that he had just lost the desire for it. Hirscher's Van Deer teammate Anton Giger, on the other hand, emphasized that you could feel "that he was always thinking about a comeback".

Hirscher won the Grand Crystal Globe eight times.

(Bild: AFP)

For Austrian winter tourism, Hirscher's media presence in the Netherlands would certainly have the pleasant side-effect of a strong advertising push in an important market of origin. With 6.7 million overnight stays in the 2022/23 winter season according to Statistics Austria, the Netherlands is number two behind Germany in terms of foreign guests and is already a significant factor for local businesses. Guests from the country also spend an above-average amount of time in Austria during their winter vacation. Hirscher could further fuel the enthusiasm for skiing in the Netherlands.

No "Oranje" podium yet
By the way, by far the best World Cup placing of an "Oranje" starter to date was achieved by Marvin van Heek in 2012, who finished eighth in a shortened downhill in Val Gardena/Gröden. In the women's race, German-born Christa Kinshofer even managed fifth place twice in the 1980s.