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When Bode Miller won the World Cup in all four Alpine disciplines within four weeks in December 2004, Marco Schwarz was a nine-year-old boy. The Carinthian has now developed so much that next winter he could be the first driver since the American to triumph in downhill, super-G, giant and slalom.
Last season he reached the top in three of the four divisions. In the descent he managed to place himself in the top 6. And there was also an off-piste episode in which “Blacky” from the Alpine Republic commemorated the legendary ski hippie Miller.
Greek slalom sensation AJ Ginnis (28, World Cup silver winner) experienced this first hand during the World Cup final in Andorra. “I gave everything during the graduation ceremony in Soldeu. Yet I only achieved third place in the party category behind the two Marcos Schwarz and Odermatt. »
Schwarz responds to his Greek friend’s nocturnal expertise with a mischievous grin and recalls Freddy Quinn’s age-old hit: “You have to celebrate the festivals as they fall. It is clear that we, competitive athletes, should never do it during the nightlife competition season exaggerating. But at the end of winter I would also like to have a drink with my colleague and have a lot of fun.”
Too much baby fat
At the beginning of his professional career, Schwarz was a connoisseur. “Although I always enjoyed training, I also preferred eating. Especially sweet dishes.” At junior level, the resulting excess weight did not prove to be his downfall. On the contrary: “In 2014 I probably won gold in the Super-G and bronze in the downhill at the Junior World Championships in Jasna, because the extra kilos gave me a boost in the numerous gliding sections.”
But after his first meeting with his current head coach Marko Pfeifer, the fun was finally over. Pfeifer tells the chapter that completely changed his protégé’s life. “When I took over the Austrian slalom team in the spring of 2013, it was clear that the aging champions Benni Reich, Mario Matt and Reinfried Herbst would soon retire. That’s why I had to involve young people. Since no one fought their way into the European Cup, I invited Marco Schwarz for training at the Reiteralm because of his strong junior results. But after his first performance I was shocked!” Why? ‘It looked terrible as the Blacky drove up the steep slope. Before I looked at his time, I was sure he had lost five seconds due to a raise or a check.”
The astonishing change
But for once Pfeifer was wrong: “Blacky” was almost two and a half seconds slower in his first training comparison with the ÖSV superstars. “When I sat at the table with him after training, I quickly realized that you could get at least a second out of this man if he lost ten kilos. I organized special sessions for Marco with our fitness trainer and forbade him from going to the dessert buffet during dinner.”
But “Schleifer” Pfeifer discovered two other shortcomings: “During the first conversation with Marco, it became clear to me that he had no idea how to coordinate his material. He didn’t know that you could change the tilt, that is, the slope of the ski boot. So it was clear that he could still take a second in this area.”
Although Schwarz quickly improved physically and materially, his trainer remained with some skepticism for a long time. “Because of his technical weaknesses, for a long time I didn’t believe that Blacky could ever reach the top 10 on slopes as steep as those in Schladming.”
But Schwarz proved his boss wrong in December 2015 with third place on the steep slalom mountain in Madonna di Campiglio. In January 2021 he also triumphed in the “Zigzag” classic on the Schladminger Planai. “With his exemplary attitude and enormous hard work, Marco has developed into a top all-rounder,” says Pfeifer enthusiastically.
Three-way battle with Odermatt and Kilde?
He still misses a place in the top 3 in downhill at the highest level, but nine months ago Schwarz delivered an excellent performance in the premier league discipline. The 28-year-old took part in his first World Cup descent on the Lauberhorn. And although he did not find ideal conditions with starting number 31, the 1.85 meter man thundered to sixth place!
Before the new season, Marco Schwarz has one main question: will he be the only athlete to participate in all World Cup races? Head coach Pfeifer shakes his head: “I would like to use Marco in all four disciplines until the races in Val d’Isère in mid-December. After that he will certainly have to miss one or two races due to the density of the program.”
When asked about his ambitions to win the overall World Cup, Schwarz replied: “If you consider the consistency with which Marco Odermatt and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde have achieved top results over the last two years, I would have to surpass myself again to win a to have a chance. to have the big ball.”
But because Schwarz worked even harder in the strength and conditioning department last summer, there is a good chance that he will have every reason to have a big party again at the end of the season.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
