Alpine SkiingINTERVIEWS
He is 19 years old, lives in San Vigilio di Marebbe and is a promise of skiing. Tobias Kastlunger, winner of the silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Val di Fassa, told Neveitalia his story, from the first ski corners to training sessions with his father and the Moelgg brothers, his reference points.
Tuesday 5 March 2019 7 minutes reading time
How did you approach the world of competitive skiing?
I live near the ski slopes. I started skiing at the age of two and a half with my dad and my mom. My father is a ski instructor and trainer. He trained the Moelgg brothers. At the age of 7 I joined the ski club of San Vigilio and at the age of 8 I started making the first races. I was already pretty good as a child, I was helped a lot by Manfred and Manuela.
Have you ever trained with the Moelgg brothers?
Yes, about two years ago I trained with them. More with Manuela, but also with Manfred. I've known them for many years, even outside of skiing. See you, give me advice, I can always count on them.
You won the silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Val di Fassa. What work was done to reach this goal?
This is the first year I entered the national team, while last season I joined the Yellow Flames. In the summer we worked on the glaciers, I always did good training. This year the goal was the Junior World Cup because they were the most important race, but we still focused on the whole season.
Did you expect to win the silver medal?
It was an unexpected medal. Many World Cup athletes participated in the World Cup and are always in front of the European Cup. I would have already been very happy if I could get into the top ten because of the high level of the opponents. I gave everything and managed to win the medal.
When you are at home you are trained by your father Klaus Kastunger, who as you said before was also the coach of the Moelgg brothers. What kind of coach is it?
He has always been training me, he has so much experience. Having a father as a coach is not always easy. It's an advantage, but sometimes it can be difficult. The positive side is that, being my father, he knows me very well. It's so precise. We can clearly distinguish the figure of the father with that of a coach. Sometimes, when it takes, he scolds me, but that's right. I feel very comfortable with him, we understand each other on the fly and this is important. As a child he also took me to see the training sessions of Manuela and Manfred.
How does a training day take place with him?
Since I train with the team, my father is present and comes to look at me. Consult with the coaches. When we are at home, let's do the track on the training track that is the Pre da Peres. We start training at about 8.30 and we finish around 11 / 11.30. We do about seven rounds of training depending on the day. On Erta we can not do training because it is always open to the public.
In addition to the giant, what is the other discipline that you feel yours?
The slalom, but at the moment I am skiing better in giant. I have also done a bit of super-G and down, they are two disciplines that amuse me.
This season you debuted in the European Cup ...
Yes, I started with the races in Sweden at Funesdalen. I did five giant and one slalom races starting with pectoral highs around 60/70. I tried to enter 30, but I could not. I think the European Cup this year was not the number 1 goal, I did it from experience, to see the difference with the other races I do and it was very useful.
What's missing to get to the World Cup debut?
The road to the World Cup is still long. A mix of strength, technique and experience is lacking. It still takes some time, but I dream of getting there. It is the dream of every athlete.
Who is your favorite athlete in the World Cup?
Manfred Moelgg, because I've known him for a long time, and Marcel Hirscher because he's the best.
What are your goals for the future?
We still have some races for this season, including the Italian Championships. I would like to try to lower the points in slalom, train well and improve. The next season I would do well in the European Cup and get into the thirty and make a good result again at the Junior World Cup in Norway.
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