“I was harshly criticized”: Michelle Gisin: First there is trick, then treatment

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Michelle Gisin arrives at the interview with moist eyes. Are they tears of happiness? No. “I suffer from the wind and the dry air here,” she says.

The joy of her second podium finish of the winter is still written on her face. “I am extremely happy with this third place. Last season I was harshly criticized after switching equipment. But in the end, I was my biggest critic – at some point my self-confidence disappeared and nothing worked anymore. A lot is different now, apart from my crash in Cortina I’m over the moon with this winter.”

“I am an all-rounder, that gives me energy.”

Gisin’s achievements in slalom are indeed astonishing. Why? Because last summer she switched to the Swiss-Ski speed group for the first time in her career and completed fewer zigzag training sessions than ever before. “Maybe that’s exactly what gave me the relaxation I needed,” she says.

However, she is not thinking about returning to the technology group. “I feel very comfortable where I am. And ultimately I get energy from being all-round, that helps me.”

Why doesn’t Gisin like Are?

The Engelberg resident is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in each of the five slaloms in 2024: tenth, fourth, sixth, fourth and now third. “I didn’t even know that,” she says in surprise. She has the hundredth happiness on her side. Does she love Are after all? Gisin smiles at the question. The background: Two days ago she said she didn’t like the place in Jämtland province very much.

“I don’t know exactly why. Somehow I just find the journey here tiring, even more tiring than the one overseas. Maybe it also has something to do with the fact that my energy reserves in Are are always running low.

“I like the sour one the best”

To quickly recharge her batteries, Gisin eats some gummy bears after the race. And also distributes it generously among its competitors. A week before the World Cup final in Saalbach, there is already an exciting atmosphere in the finish area. “I bought them at the mall. The Swedes are really great when it comes to gummy bears; there are entire shelves full of different types. I like the sour one the best.”

Two of Gisin’s teammates also have reason to be happy. Mélanie Meillard (13th place) limps due to her knee problems, but shows her class on the slopes. And Camille Rast (12th place) proves that she can hold her own even on flat slopes that are not her style.

Source : Blick