Sport is no longer everything in Marcel Hirscher’s life. This was emphasized by the seven-time overall winner of the Ski World Cup at the Media Day of his supplier Atomic. “My whole life, sport has always been the absolute number one, private life subordinated to sport. Now that will change,” said the Salzburg native on Thursday at the Atomic headquarters in Altenmarkt.
Hirscher had become double Olympic champion last winter in South Korea, had won the overall World Cup for the seventh time in a row and thought long and hard about ending his career. In the summer he had then married and announced the continuation of his career. He recently became a father, too.
It is expected that the winner of 58 World Cup races in the coming winter will therefore be reeling off a slimmed-down programme. “It could look like when I’m needed somewhere else I’m not going to the ski race because there’s something more important. Many, many, many have confirmed to me that this is similar in other professions,” said Hirscher. From Atomic race boss Christian Höflehner he received a pair of children’s skis with the inscription: “My father is faster than yours.”
Hirscher confessed that it was difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to preserve privacy in his situation. “I’ve tried everything to keep me quiet for a few days. Not 48 hours later, it was in the paper. Actually this is a madness”, Hirscher referred to the birth of his son published in some daily newspapers. “I tried to make the most of it. There are some who are not so involved in sports. With the faces I know, it’s easier.”
Even if Hirscher should deny a reduced program in the World Cup winter, he still wants to improve. “I haven’t finished learning in my life, not even skiing,” said the Salzburg native. And one thing always stays the same anyway. “I still don’t want to finish second and get the most out of myself. This was no different in children’s and schoolchildren’s races and will never change. I always want to get the maximum out of it, tear everything up.”
Following the departure of two-man service technician Johann Strobl to US brand colleague Mikaela Shiffrin, Lukas Rottinger is now Hirschers second service technician alongside Thomas Graggaber. Hirscher stressed that it was difficult to define seasonal goals. “I don’t know myself how I’ll do it,” he said just two weeks before the start of the season in Sölden. “What I do know is that the clock is zero. In Sölden we’ll see where you stand and then it’s the same game as always and whether you’re entitled to say you’re going around the world championship. But now it’s too soon.”
One thing is certain for Hirscher meanwhile, namely that he will not show any more fundamental commitment on the speed side. “It’s no use. You need four years to know all the tracks well and another year to get really fast on them. So five, six years go in there. I’m not ready to do this anymore.”
How many races he will contest at the end of the coming WRC winter is therefore open. “But since I was so close to quitting, every race I take with me is added value anyway.”