Marcel Hirscher started the new slalom season as he had finished the old one. He won the Levi race for the third time in his career with two fastest running times, beat his permanent competitor Henrik Kristoffersen from Norway by 0.09 seconds on Sunday and Sweden’s Andre Myhrer by 1.41 seconds.
In an interview, the man from Salzburg reveals his plans for Beaver Creek, talks about changed expectations and thanks Michael Matt.
Question: You said that you now think it was the right decision to continue your career. Were you still having doubts?
Marcel Hirscher: “Well. To really be world class anywhere, it is usually necessary to set priorities clearly. Let’s see how long the compromise works.”
Question: Have your expectations for the season changed with this victory?
Hirscher: “No. The priorities have definitely changed, skiing is no longer the most important thing in my life. I don’t think it can be a season like all the others.”
Question: You said before the race that you were anxious to see where you stood. How relieved are you now?
Hirscher: “It was already a Hakerl after the first run. I knew it was perfect, everything was great. I’m in a position to win races. I’m capable of being one of the fastest. The world was actually all right for me then. If I had dropped out now, it would have been terrible and shitty, but I would have known I was in. That’s the most important thing.”
Question: There were two best running times, that says a lot.
Hirscher: “Yes, no matter what I tell you now, it’s somehow difficult to explain why it works so well anyway. Because it can’t be the perfect preparation.” (laughs)
Question: But the last training on the Reiteralm was already important?
Hirscher: “Yes, that was a day, that was important.”
Question: You mastered the tricky passage with the hole just before the finish in the second run, as if nothing had happened. Did you have any information about it?
Hirscher: “I would like to thank my teammate Michi Matt. It’s nice to have a teammate who helps you win in a situation like this. That was very important and he certainly has a share in today’s. It would have happened to me under circumstances immediately (like others/notes), I am very grateful. It wasn’t the fastest thing I did, but it was the safest thing.”
Question: What are your plans for the World Cup in Beaver Creek?
Hirscher: “Now I’m going to fly home. Now I’m going to see that the Reiteralm is the right place for skiing. I’ll make a short visit to America.”
Question: Only for the giant slalom, or the Super-G too?
Hirscher: “It’s not out of the question.”