Ski Alpin: Kristoffersen: Why he goes crazy at Hirscher-Siegen

According to normal standards Henrik Kristoffersen drives an outstanding season in the Alpine Ski World Cup. The 23-year-old finished ten of his twelve races on the podium, with the worst placing finishing ninth. But Marcel Hirscher also bites his teeth out of Marcel Hirscher, which sometimes makes him feel emotional:”I’m just a human being, I’m not a Superman,”Kristoffersen said in Kitzbühel.

Question: Does it bother you to be constantly addressed to Marcel Hirscher, who has always stood in the way of her first win this season?

Henrik Kristoffersen:”No. Last year and the year before I won a lot of races with a few hundredths or so. It was tight in a lot of races this year. There were six slalom races and I was on the podium six times. It’s not bad, that’s for sure. In summer I worked too much on the giant slalom. That is perhaps a little bit the reason why the slalom doesn’t go as well as it did last year. But I’m satisfied. Like I said, it’s close.”

Question: Do you secretly hope that after so many successes Hirscher might get a little fed up?

Kristoffersen:”If you have 53 World Cup victories, you won’t be satisfied. You can ask that when you have ten victories, and it’s a bit more difficult. If you have 53 victories, all you want to do is race and win.”

Question: You have already given free rein to your anger this season.

Kristoffersen:”I think I was a bit annoyed in Zagreb, as you could see on TV. But that’s what it was like at Marcel last year, when I won nine hundredths of a second in Wengen. That’s normal for an athlete. I wasn’t upset that Marcel won and I was third. I was just upset that I made this mistake on the flat, and then the chance to win was over. I’m just a human being, not a Superman. I think that’s quite normal.”

Question: Sometimes you fly home together after the races. Does it then happen after a narrow decision that there is no conversation at all?

Kristoffersen:”We always speak. We’re competitors on the track, but outside of the track we’re always friendly.”

Question: In the overall World Cup you are 174 points behind Hirscher. That’s catchy, isn’t it?

Kristoffersen:”I don’t think so much of the overall World Cup now. I’m just thinking about the next practice session, the next race. I’ve got ten podium places out of 12 races we’ve run. It’s really good, but it’s very difficult in the overall World Cup when Marcel wins every race. But it’s not decided, it’s still ten races or so.”

Question: If you win gold at the Olympic Games, would you be less angry that Hirscher has often narrowly been ahead of the pack in the World Cup?

Kristoffersen:”Olympia is just a race, it’s only a day. But it’s a day every four years. Olympia is big, but now I’m not thinking about Olympia. Maybe you can do that if you fly to South Korea. I want to win every race. I’m an athlete. I think Marcel says the same thing, and Aksel Lund Svindal says the same thing. I couldn’t really make a decision between Olympic gold and overall World Cup. The overall World Cup is so big for an alpine skier, it’s a bit difficult. But hopefully both will work.”

Question: We are here in Kitzbühel, where the most famous downhill run in the World Cup takes place. Does the slalom also have such a special attraction?

Kristoffersen:”It is surely something special. The race lasts so long, so many famous runners have won here. I think the mountain makes it so special. It is difficult, but it is nice to win here because it is such a great honour. It is Kitzbühel, the most famous ski resort in the world. But in order to win, there are so many small things that have to go in the right direction.”

Question: Do you find it a pity that there is no longer any combination here?

Kristoffersen:”I can’t say I’m happy that there is no longer a combination. But it’s okay. That would be a little too much for me. I’m focusing on the slalom now.”

Question: Have you fundamentally abandoned the Super-G project?

Kristoffersen:”I think it’s a chance that we’ll be riding in Kvitfjell this year or at the final in Aare. But then it would just be a preparation for later. I don’t think so much of the Super-G, I focus on slalom and giant slalom, then we’ll see what’s what. That’s difficult enough.”

Question: How do you experience the hustle and bustle on the Hahnenkamm weekend?

Kristoffersen:”Normally I am here only from Saturday to Sunday. There’s too many people, too many parties. You have to take it a little easier when you’re an athlete. In ten to twelve years, you can see if I can go to the parties, but then I’m done skiing.”