The big interview with the overshooter: what the Unspunnen victory brought about for Samuel Giger

That was of course a great liberation. For such success, everything must come together. And on that day the time had finally come. But before that, I wasn’t someone who just flopped around and never smiled.

But the fact that you are finally living up to your role as favorite has already made a big difference?
Yeah right. Of course, a big burden is lifted when it works at a major event. But it’s not like I failed regularly before. I was the winner at the Kilchberg-Schwinget, I achieved top places at the Swiss competitions in Zug and Pratteln.

But do you want to win as a favorite?
It’s not that easy. There are at least five or six others who are at my level and could win such a big festival at any time. It is always a puzzle that has to come together. And it can only work for one person. You always forget that when you look at it.

Who are the other five or six?
Everyone involved in swinging knows the names. I don’t need to list them now.

With the win in Interlaken, did you also reward the changes you made to your support team?
Yes. I was in good hands beforehand. I needed new impulses and new stimuli.

Two handball players.
Yes, my athletics trainer Goran Cvetkovic, who also trains Scout Winterthur. With him I made another leap forward.

How?
He knows how to challenge me. When he tells me to pedal the air bike at 350 watts for eight minutes, he mutters as he runs away: “Professionals can do 400 watts.” Then he knows exactly that I have set 400 watts.

And what exactly does your mental trainer Adrian Brüngger do?
This is very complex. Unlike my previous mental trainer, he works with hypnosis. It’s about penetrating the subconscious and reprogramming certain things. Reduce nervousness and pressure, release blockages, find focus.

And do you sleep deeply?
No. It’s like an afternoon nap. Somehow you are there and receptive, but then you still get scared when the alarm goes off.

They also seemed more aggressive and determined in Interlaken. Like the daredevils Joel Wicki and Werner Schlegel.
That’s how I was as a young wrestler. But that has now been somewhat lost. And temperamentally, I’m the more down-to-earth and calm type. But the killer instinct should not be lost. We’ve been working on that. Whoever is right first has the first chance to win.

You have completed the normal RS and are not in the athlete RS. And you have refrained from lucrative sponsorship contracts for a long time. Were you also ridiculed for this attitude?
There were one or two statements. I started swinging at the age of seven and came into the sport completely carefree at the age of 16 and was immediately able to celebrate great successes. But I didn’t have that much self-confidence yet, I didn’t have a personality yet. The questions from the media and the offers for sponsorship contracts, I didn’t feel ready for it at that moment. And money isn’t always important. I was still living at home at the time, was a student and had enough to live on. And wrestling is a cheap sport, you don’t need expensive equipment. Somehow I always had the feeling that I had to perform first and then I could think about sponsorship deals.

Have things changed today?
It is part of the development and maturation process. Today it is true for me. And thanks to the sponsors, I was able to reduce my workload as a truck driver to 40 percent. It’s hard to be at the top and have a full workload.

Can you imagine being a wrestling professional one day?
I don’t rule out the idea of ​​going all out for a few years.

The timing would be ideal. The 2024 anniversary festival in Appenzell and the 2025 federal festival in Eastern Switzerland are just around the corner.
Things are currently going well and a further reduction in the workload will only be discussed at the federal meeting in Mollis. I’m looking forward to Appenzell, my roots are there and the festival site is ten minutes away from the farm where I spent the first years of my life. The farm is now run by my brother. This celebration will be an emotional affair for me.

And do you finally want to become the wrestling king of Glarnerland?
That’s what I’m trying to do. Like many others. I’m in my prime now and if I stay healthy, I can continue swinging at this level for a few more years.

The strong Northeastern Swiss seem well prepared for the home festival?
We have a great team, yes. But the Bernese still have the larger lead.

Last season there was also a lot of discussion about the division of the fights. What do you think about it?
These discussions always exist and always will exist. The increased media attention also creates more public discussion. There used to be bullying among wrestlers. My grandfather told me that years ago.

So the division hasn’t become more unfair?
No. On the contrary. I think the distribution has now become fairer.

Why?
I have no explanation for that.

Maybe because the court knows that the public is watching and that it is also being discussed in the media?
That may have a small influence.

There are voices who believe that the ladies of honor and the image of women they convey in this role are no longer current. Should swinging move into the future question certain traditions?
I’ve never heard of the bridesmaids discussion. Wrestling has become so great thanks to tradition and nothing should change that. The festival grounds also include a Muni and a wrestling festival starts early on Sunday morning. If you wanted to throw all tradition out the window, you could have an event on Saturday night with the top thirty wrestlers and everything would be done in two hours. This cannot be the future of our sport.

This year you canceled your home mountain festival on the Schwagalp. Why?
Because I couldn’t get the date a week before unspun. I decided that for myself at the beginning of this year.

Will you be back at Schwägalp in 2024?
Clearly.

You are already the Unspunnen winner and Gladiator 2023. Will you also become athlete of the year?
I don’t think so, even though I would be very happy about it. But I didn’t become the wrestling king, I became the Unspunnen winner. I always compare it this way: the royal title in wrestling is like an Olympic victory, the Unspunnen victory is like a world title. And then there is Marco Odermatt, who did incredible things again last season.

Which opponent have you never beaten in your career?
Of the wrestlers still active, there is only one. It is Thomas Sempach from Bern. We’ve met three times already. But someone was always hired.

What other dreams does Samuel Giger have?
I’m more of a realistic person. Dream? If so, then of a family and a beautiful house with a little change in the countryside.

You live with your girlfriend Michelle von Weissenfluh, who comes from a wrestling dynasty in the Bernese Oberland. Will the wedding bells ring soon?
Marriage is definitely a topic for us, but nothing is concrete yet.

But female fans don’t have to send marriage proposals anymore?
No. This is hopeless. Too late.