A spin with the "crown"

Herminator: “This is how new ÖSV successes can be achieved”

Hermann Maier (left) took the "Krone" for a spin in Kitz in an Audi RS3 with around 400 hp.

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail)

Hermann Maier took the "Krone" for a spin in Kitz in an Audi RS3 with around 400 hp and chatted about the state of the ski nation. He also has an idea of how success could return to the ÖSV team ... 

"Krone": Hermann, it's the big time for comebacks in the ski circus. Your return would be the icing on the cake ...
Hermann Maier: That can definitely be ruled out. (laughs) And why would I do that?

For example, because we currently have too few candidates for victory!
That's one argument. In this respect, a comeback by Matthias Mayer would also be welcome. And I hope that people like Vincent Kriechmayr or Raphael Haaser get fit soon.

Are we still THE skiing nation par excellence?
Yes, definitely. If only because of the tourism figures. But speaking of tourism: it's an interesting question why hardly any top racers come from our major tourist hotspots. Probably because most of them don't want to do it anymore, considering the effort involved and the risk of injury.

The recent results of our team must make your heart bleed. In your day, potential candidates for victory had to sit out because there was no room in the team. What went wrong there?
Too few people were put on the map. We used to have European Cup skiers training with the best, so you pulled the whole team along with you and everyone could train with the absolute best in the world. And you get better in training. Many other nations, such as Switzerland and Norway, are now doing this. In Austria, we haven't done that enough - at least since 2015. I'm sure that heads are now spinning about what can be done better. So that young talent stays involved, so that this transition from the European Cup to the World Cup finally succeeds here in Austria. And to filter out what makes a good skier. And I believe that this concern can then lead to new successes.

And what do you think makes a good skier?
Above all, it's the technical attributes! Unfortunately, far too much attention is often paid to physical development and the material factor.

Marco Odermatt

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Swiss Marco Odermatt, on the other hand, is dominating the action in a similar way to you. How do you rate his performance?
Since the start of the season, you can see what great shape he's in. If he presents himself in the same way here in Kitzbühel and the conditions stay more or less the same, then there's no way around him and he'll win the super-G and the downhill. His season can still be pretty outstanding. And: Unfortunately, he's also running out of opponents if you look at the injury list.

What are your thoughts on what needs to be done?
There have always been crashes. And there always will be, it's not a computer game! But one thing is clear: gravity hasn't changed over the years: Simply riding straight down the mountain, as Franz Klammer once did, is actually the safest thing to do! As soon as you have to make up time on the bends, you have to use more aggressive equipment, which increases the risk of cruciate ligament ruptures.

Last question, will you be hanging out in the Kitzbühel nightlife?
No, at my age I won't be experiencing the black air here. (laughs) But I will be watching the Super-G on Friday, to which I still have a very close emotional connection (Maier has won this race four times, please note).