It is 54 hectares in size: King Wicki shows his kingdom

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Joel Wicki is the most phenomenal wrestler of the last 40 years! Why? Although the 1.83 m man from the canton of Lucerne is a bonsai compared to Christian Stucki (1.99 m), Pirmin Reichmuth (1.98 m) or Samuel Giger (1.94 m), he still has ten months conquered the Schwinger throne in Pratteln with the final triumph over the 1.91 meter tall Matthias Aeschbacher from Bern. This makes Wicki the smallest king since Ernst Schläpfer (1.82 m, ESAF winner 1980/1983).

The performances of the 26-year-old next to the sawdust ring are also phenomenal. While other top wrestlers are increasingly reducing their workload, the 60-time wrestler from Sörenberg is a real cramp.

‘He was not in good shape’

In addition to the dredging company, which he has been running with a colleague for a few years, Joel has now also taken over a 54-hectare farm in his hometown. Preparation for the current season was hampered by the agricultural college attending the overshooter until the May exams.

Nevertheless, Wicki triumphed in four of the five Kranzfest participations this calendar year. Only in his guest appearance in Oberaargau did he have to admit defeat to the Bernese giant Fabian Staudenmann in the final. “I had to exchange some serious words with Joel in the Oberaargau because he wasn’t physically in shape there,” reveals Wicki’s coach Daniel Hüsler. “Joel had worked so hard the weeks before that he lost his ideal competition weight. Instead of 110, he weighed only 104 kilos. As a result, his swings lacked momentum.”

The weight is now

Meanwhile, the first string monarch from Central Switzerland since Harry Knüsel (62) is almost back in top shape. Hüsler: “After the Oberaargau, the calorie intake was greatly increased, so Joel currently weighs 109 kilograms.”

A few Wicki fans are still asking an anxious question regarding the highlight of the season at Unspunnen (August 27): Won’t profitable regeneration be neglected due to the many activities? Hüsler is not worried about this: “If this danger existed, I would have intervened long ago. Sure, Joel works hard as an entrepreneur. But we’re watching closely to make sure the recovery isn’t neglected. Especially since he can also regenerate during his day job because it’s a lot of fun. When he is behind the wheel of his excavator or takes care of his cattle on the farm, he gets a soothing shower for the soul.”

Wicki’s animal love

That the baddest of the bad guys has a particularly big heart for animals, is evident not least from his association with his sheepdog named Simba. Wicki grooms the Entlebucher-Appenzell mixed breed bitch. In the spring he saved her life. “I took over Simba from the former farm owner who passed away unexpectedly last summer. She quickly grew on me. And when the vet discovered a tumor in her, I decided not to put her to sleep and to have surgery.”

The royal bitch has recovered well from this operation. Simba follows her master everywhere. “When I tell her we’re going to the cows on the alm, she rushes to the car in a flash and sits in the passenger seat.”

Wicki’s eyes shine like those of a boy under the Christmas tree when he talks about daily life on the farm. But he also emphasizes that in the first weeks after his coronation in Pratteln, the rural idyll was spoiled by a few particularly “great” people. “It happened that complete strangers stood in the barn or at the front door to gain insight into my life. Of course I didn’t think it was that funny.”

That is also why Wicki is happy that his Simba has recovered so well from the tumor operation. After all, many uninvited guests are scared off by a loudly barking dog.

Source : Blick