Ski genius, silent person, bad accusations: this is how Ingemar Stenmark (67) wrote: his records were meant to last forever – now Odermatt scratches them

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Although Ingemar Stenmark rode his last World Cup race on March 10, 1989 in Shigakogen, Japan, the now 67-year-old has been involved in a historic long-distance duel with Marco Odermatt for weeks.

Today’s best alpine racer is chasing the record streak that the “old” Swede achieved between March 18, 1978 and January 21, 1980 – Stenmark won the 14th World Cup Giant Slalom in a row during this period.

Odermatt won his twelfth World Cup Giant in a row in Aspen last Saturday and could equal Stenmark’s gigantic record at the last GS in Saalbach on March 16 – if he also wins in Kranjska Gora (Sln) before that.

He was a nightmare for journalists

In terms of character, there is a huge difference between the old master from Northern Sweden and the high flyer from Lake Lucerne. While Odermatt eloquently answers almost every reporter’s question and fulfills every autograph request, Stenmark was a journalist’s nightmare in his heyday.

“I once spent fifteen minutes with Ingemar in the elevator in Adelboden,” recalls Austrian reporting legend Wolfgang Winnheim, noting that “at that time I asked all the questions that had been running through my mind for a long time. Unfortunately I only got two answers from him: ‘It was a great race’ and ‘The track was very good’. That is it. But the Swedish journalists assured me afterwards that I had gotten a lot out of their superstar. When he talked to them, he always just said yes or no.”

Kernen: “He talked to me a lot”

Bruno Kernen from Saanen, who sensationally triumphed on the Hahnenkamm descent in Kitzbühel in 1983, had a special bond with the idiosyncratic superstar from Tärneby. “On the one hand, this was because we were both under contract with the Slovenian ski manufacturer Elan. In addition to the apartment in Monaco, Ingemar and his then wife also had an apartment in my neighborhood in Schönried BE,” says Kernen.

And as a neighbor, the 61-year-old downhill legend Kernen got to know the giant and slalom king from a completely different side. “As soon as he realized he could trust someone, he opened up. He talked to me a lot.”

Stenmark trusted Kernen implicitly, even though he almost shot him one summer day. «Elan organized a golf tournament in Bled, Slovenia, and before this tournament we were equipped with new equipment. Before the first tee shot I warned Ingemar about my “slice”. But because he apparently didn’t take my words seriously enough, one of my balls just flew past his ear. But even in this red-hot situation, Stenmark remained cool.”

Kernen, who has been running a beautiful hotel in Schönried since his retirement, still gets goosebumps when he thinks back to Stenmark’s skiing skills. «In the early 80s, I was standing not far from the start in Madonna di Campiglio and I could see with my own eyes how brilliant Ingemar was when he scored the first goals. He really skied like he came from another planet.”

Evil insinuations from revolver blades

That’s why Stenmark still holds the record for individual World Cup victories (86, 46 in giant slalom, 40 in slalom). In his sporting heyday, Stenmark was bothered by the predatory stories that the Swedish revolver newspapers ‘Expressen’ and ‘Aftonbladet’ published about his first great love, Ann Uvhagen.

The Swedish stewardess employed by the German Lufthansa was portrayed as a nymphomaniac who, in parallel with the ski god, is said to have pampered several aircraft captains. No wonder the Viking still has a very distant relationship with the media today.

Marco Odermatt only had contact with the overall World Cup winner in the 1975/76, 76/77 and 77/78 seasons. “A mutual acquaintance put us in touch via Facetime. Our conversation didn’t last too long.”

Pressure or motivation? Odermatt is unsure

However, this Stenmark Odermatt will probably put Odermatt under pressure for a long time with his fantastic series. After his 37th World Cup victory, the three-time Swiss Athlete of the Year admitted “that sometimes I would be happy if these series and long-term statistics did not exist. Then I could participate in a competition again in a more relaxed way.”

But after a brief pause for thought, Odermatt turns the tables: “It is probably exactly these kinds of figures that continue to push me to deliver top performances…”

Source : Blick