Top Swiss wrestler: Damian von Euw has his training partners flown in from abroad

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Martial arts are not particularly popular in Switzerland. Aside from the wrestlers, most people in this country fight in fairly small ranks. But that doesn’t stop wrestler Damian von Euw (25) from putting a lot of energy into his sport. This includes inviting training partners from abroad to their home in Central Switzerland. But more about that later.

Von Euw is a wrestler in the Greco-Roman style, also known as Greco. This means that he is only allowed to attack his opponent’s upper body, unlike freestyle, where attacks on the legs are also allowed. He is currently competing for a place at next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. In wrestling, this is easier said than done. There are only 16 starting spots in von Euw’s weight class. To qualify he must either advance to the final of the crucial European tournament or finish on the podium at the final global qualifying tournament.

Better wrestling than swinging

The fact that Von Euw became a wrestler is thanks to his younger brother, who first started the sport. At the same time, the Brunnen SZ-based martial artist also had a taste of wrestling training, but soon gave up the national sport. “It wasn’t like me at all to have my mouth full of sawdust all the time. And I was much too light, as an eleven-year-old boy weighing 40 kilograms, there were opponents waiting for me who weighed twice as much,” says the wrestler, who now weighs more than 90 kilograms.

The chances of success in a wrestling career were quickly lost. And on the wrestling mat, things didn’t look too promising at first. «My brother was much more talented than me. I came last in my first match and second to last in my second match.” But this small improvement was enough to fuel Brunner’s ambition to keep going and get better. For years. After completing his training as a businessman, he put everything on one card – and became a top athlete. A path that is accompanied by great risks.

Difficult finances, lack of training partners

Finding sponsors in such a niche sport is difficult. The top sports recruit receives financial support from, among others, the army, the canton of SZ, Sporthilfe or their own support club. You cannot make big steps with it, most of the money flows directly into the sport. But Von Euw doesn’t want to complain. “No one forced me to become a wrestler.”

Another problem is the lack of equal sparring partners. Before the war, Von Euw trained regularly in Ukraine and Russia and even considered moving to Moscow. Wrestling has a very different status there than in Switzerland. But Putin’s invasion of Ukraine caused these plans to collapse. There are still training camps in Russia. However, the journey entails great expense and a lot of effort. “That is why I now regularly try to bring wrestlers from abroad to Switzerland, so that we can train with and against each other.”

Good friends are possible adversaries

Sometimes these athletes stay in Switzerland for two weeks, sometimes two months. The Serbian Sasha Komarov, multiple world junior champion, is currently staying with von Euw. He speaks neither German nor English, but communicates with the Schwyzer in Russian. The two athletes spend virtually the entire day together, from breakfast to the two practices to dinner. “That’s why I only invite people I already know. It must also fit next to the training mat.” Many good friendships have been formed this way.

On a sporting level, this is the only way to progress. However, this training method is not entirely cheap. Euw organizes and pays for the travel, food and accommodation for the foreign wrestlers. It could also be that the two will compete against each other in the upcoming Olympic qualifying. A drawback? “No, no, at least we know what each other is capable of!”

Source : Blick