The last Swiss world champion hopes for the end of the curse

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While the Swiss curling women shone at the World Cup in Sweden with a record series of four titles in a row, the Swiss men will have to deal with a series of a different kind before the start of the World Cup in Ottawa (from Saturday).

There hasn’t been a men’s world title in 31 years, even though Switzerland is one of the five major curling nations.

Now the newly formed all-star team around Skip Yannick Schwaller (27) with Benoit Schwarz (31), Sven Michel (35) and Pablo Lachat (22) is trying to break the curse and replace Markus Eggler (54) as the last Swiss. curling world champion.

Youngest world skip champion at age 23

Eggler on Blick: “I am in regular contact with Benoit. I wish the team all the best and I very much hope that they will finally replace me as the last title holder.” Then the Basel resident with Thun roots adds with a laugh: “I recently said to my eleven-year-old son, who now also plays curling: otherwise you have to stop with this series.”

Eggler won the World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1992 at the age of 23, he is still the youngest world champion Skip. After that he continued to play at the highest level for years, in 2002 in the team of Schwaller and in 2010 in the team of Stöckli Eggler won Olympic bronze. He was never a professional, during his career the current director of a packaging and printing company in Arlesheim BL managed dozens of employees.

The problem is also known as Niklas Edin

Eggler himself also tried to bring the world title back to Switzerland. But without being crowned again: 1994 bronze, 2001 silver in Lausanne. Will Schwaller and Co pack it in this time? “Four excellent players came together and they’ve had a good season so far,” he says.

Eggler does not dare to make a prognosis. Also because the world class is now wider than before and the current generation also has to compete in the same era as the Swedish superstar Niklas Edin (37, six world titles in his last seven participations and a complete set of Olympic medals).

Nevertheless, Eggler keeps his fingers crossed: “I would love to scream with joy again like last Sunday in the women’s final. It is phenomenal to win 36 World Cup matches and four World Cup finals in a row.”

Source : Blick