Ski legend Cuche about Odermatt: “Today Marco is the inspiration”

There’s a picture of us. Marco, about twelve years old, a blond boy, me in racing clothes. We sit next to each other on the grass. I remember it well. It was 2009 in Zermatt. The Silvano Beltrametti International Youth Ski Race takes place every December in Lenzerheide. The two girls and two boys with the best times of the day win a day of skiing with me. So I met Marco Odermatt the next summer in Zermatt and skied with him and the other winners on the glacier for an hour. After my training I took the time for it.

Then we had lunch together, after which this photo was taken. I always have a lot of fun skiing with the kids. I noticed at the time that Marco Odermatt’s technique no longer required major corrections. I gave him a tip about the positioning of the arms in the bend. All children had an excellent level. But I couldn’t have improved anything else with him.

It meant a lot to me to be able to inspire young people. The fact that Marco once said that I was a role model for him does not leave me indifferent and makes me very happy. But I’m not sure he needed inspiration. There are almost no superlatives left for what he is showing now. Today he is the role model. Also for my children Amélie (5) and Noé (8), who already participate in club and regional flights. He is her great hero. The hero of an entire generation of children. Even at a young age, he is already one of the biggest names in the history of skiing.

First scent mark at the Junior World Championships

I realized he could become a great player when Marco Odermatt won five gold medals at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Davos. You will meet many junior world champions later at the World Cup. Some can settle down, others get good results every now and then. But such consistency across so many disciplines shows great potential. You don’t have to be a clairvoyant to recognize that.

To this day we still keep in touch occasionally. We haven’t met at the edge of the track again this season. I will definitely write him a few words in the week after the final in Saalbach. Only his family members and friends are already crowding his phone. That’s why I don’t expect an answer. I know what he’s doing – and what that means. He takes so much time for everyone.

I’m impressed with how he manages to do that. It wasn’t until the second half of my career that I discovered what all this meant about the media. That’s big. That’s why he impresses me as a person. He always has respect for his opponents and is amazed by his own achievements. And I like to experience that. Of course, thanks to his success, he can also play worry-free. He is at the start and knows that if he does what he can, he will end up roughly where he wants. Certainly, his standards are extremely high. Everything that isn’t a victory is already up for debate. When he is at the start, his thoughts are on winning.

With great skill to the extreme

Perhaps the biggest difference between us is that the switch went off so early for him. That he has achieved more at such a young age than I have in my entire career. I sincerely wish Marco that he stays healthy and that he is spared serious injuries. His great skill helps him stay within his 100 percent risk limit, but without exceeding his limits. What he achieves is not self-evident. I hope he can continue to ride at this level for a long time to come.

Didier Cuche (49) is Super-G world champion and 21-time World Cup winner. He resigned in 2012.