Alpine SkiingBeijing 2022
Getty Images
The new Olympic downhill champion talks about himself after a challenge on the edge of cents that closes the circle: now Beat has really won everything. The wonderful French second with the thought of David Poisson. And Matthias Mayer? Simply the man of the Games.
Monday 7 February 2022 6 minutes reading time
A beautiful podium of enormous quality, even if he again failed to climb it, after the 4th place in PyeongChang, one of the most successful downhillers of the new millennium, and we are clearly talking about Dominik Paris who deserves an Olympic medal.
The queen competition of the Beijing Games has rewarded him, the strongest of all in recent years: Beat Feuz crowned a legendary career, winning the only title that was still missing in a palmares from world title, specialty cup poker and triple victory in the Kitzbuehel temple. A champion who will celebrate 35 years in four days, could also leave at the end of the season (we have been talking about it for quite a while ...), but becoming the fourth red-cross skier with the Olympic downhill gold around his neck, he really has closed a circle.
Beautiful, in the post-race interview live on TV with SRF Sport, his emotion talking at home with his partner Katrin together with his daughters Clea and Luisa, the latter born right between the last races in Wengen and Kitzbuehel. Precisely the former slalomist with whom he has lived a love affair for almost 15 years, was fundamental to save the career of Beat who in 2012, after competing for the overall World Cup to Marcel Hirscher up to the Schladming finals , he had found himself with a future hanging by a thread, due to a serious infection in his left knee. "Katrin works a lot more than me, she is at home alone with two girls and anyone with children knows how difficult it can be - Feuz's words - I just want to thank her for doing everything possible so that I could be here without worries".
Little to say about the race, a battle with Clarey and Mayer glued, but there is a curious fact related to the starting number: the ace from Graubünden has never won in the World Cup with 13, but with that bib. he triumphed at the 2017 Sankt Moritz World Championship. "I always follow the same pattern, Katrin gives me a first indication with her analysis of the tests, then with our technician Reto Nydegger we finalize the process".
CLAREY'S DEDICATION
The statements made by Johan Clarey in the post-race are thrilling. At 41, the oldest medalist in the history of alpine skiing, who finished just a tenth slower than Feuz, speaking to Ski Chrono immediately thought of him, of David Poisson. “I think a lot about David, we lost him four years ago (in the tragic training accident in Nakiska, ed). He is one of the first people I thought of today, then my family and my wife come, it is thanks to them that I have continued my career beyond the age of 35 and now I am experiencing the best year. Today is the apotheosis of my journey and it is incredible thinking that this morning I got out of bed exhausted, at 41 I happen to suffer with recovery.
Suddenly, five minutes before the start, I felt great, very focused. And I managed to put everything I needed ”.
On the third step of the podium, who if not that Matthias Mayer who already had the gold medals in the downhill in Sochi 2014 and in super-g at the last Games. And the Carinthian was just 16 cents away from becoming the first athlete in history to sign an encore in the premier race. "It was a good race and it's a great result for me - the Wunderteam standard bearer told oesv.at - I want to congratulate Beat for the Olympic victory and Johan for the silver medal, unfortunately I I wasted too much time in the upper part, but I'm very happy with third place ”.
And now the super-g, where MM will scare everyone again ...
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Social media engagement
Più letti in Sport invernali
Tocca a Freddy continuare la striscia dei fratelli Carrick-Smith: prima vittoria in ANC per il britannico e per Amelia Smart
Australian New Zealand Cup 2026: a Coronet Peak si è tornati finalmente a gareggiare, con lo slalom maschile che vede il classe 2007, vice campione del mondo jr di specialità, precedere nettamente Meissl e Hagen. La specialista canadese anticipa Hoffmann e la solita Butler nella prova femminile. Ora i giganti.
173