Skater Livio Wenger defies all expectations: “Medals must now be the goal”

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Livio Wenger (30) started inline skating as a child. He has been at the top of the World Speed ​​Skating Championships for almost ten years and is a world-class athlete, the Swiss figurehead in this sport. An 0815 professional? Not Wenger.

Wherever he is, there are also special stories. In 2020, he was stuck in Guatemala, his girlfriend’s home country, during the coronavirus pandemic. An experience that shaped him.

After the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, he postponed the start of pre-season training for a month because he needed to clear his head. In the summer, when people are sweating for winter, he does competitive inline skating, his passion.

Lost collarbone after fall during training

This year? There was no other crazy adventure. But the preparation for the season was not entirely without turbulence this year. Wenger broke his collarbone during a training fall in Italy in July. “My girlfriend was the only person on the train. She immediately noticed that I needed support and also cheered me up at home.” He has lost some strength and speed, but is now almost back to 100 percent, Wenger said.

The injury came at the worst possible time. Because Wenger has big plans for the new season, which starts on Friday in Ohibiro (Japan). “I’m now at a point where I can say: I always want to be at the front and even dominate a race. Gold, silver, bronze – these must be the goals now,” said Wenger.

Especially in the mass start, he is no longer one of the hunters, but one of the hunted. That makes him proud. “When you see others looking up to you now, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”

‘Becoming world champion’ – his dream from an early age

A video from 2004 can be found on the Frohnatur website. Swiss television accompanied Wenger to an inline skating race. When asked what his goal was, the then eleven-year-old boy replied: “I want to become world champion.”

This dream hasn’t come true yet, but it should happen this season. “If you don’t want to get the most out of it as an athlete, you’re in the wrong place. And the maximum this season is the World Cup in Calgary in mid-February.”

By then he should be back to 100 percent of his performance potential after breaking his collarbone. As Wenger is, he can also get good things from the sub-optimal pre-season. The injury allowed him to adjust many things over the summer.

Wenger tried out a new skating formation and new tactics, among other things. «I also want to use the upcoming World Cup matches as a kind of training and internalize the details that I looked at during the summer training. And then I have confidence that the longer it takes, the more everything will fit together.”

Source : Blick