Noe van Messel returns to the road of victory

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It’s been a long time since Noe van Messel was able to celebrate as unrestrained as last Sunday. Encouraged by numerous friends and acquaintances, the 1.91 meter tall giant fought his way to victory against Jonas Burch (23) from Obwalden in a spectacular final walk. “When you hear the audience calling your name, it really gives an extra kick. Then you just want to give everything.” After his triumph, Van Messel’s wrestling club Ägerital organized a party in the multipurpose hall in Zug. Because his first Kranzfest victory is not only a milestone in his young career. It also marks the end of a long period of suffering.

Van Messel received his last oak leaf in the summer of 2019. The then 17-year-old wrestler with Dutch roots caused a sensation when he finished third at the Stoos. After that it became quiet around Van Messel. Injuries plagued him. The cruciate ligament tore once, the meniscus twice. The economics student contracted mononucleosis last summer and had to take weeks off. «The doubts whether I was really going in the right direction were enormous. And the pressure to deliver good results again was great,” he says.

Not a one-hit wonder

The victory on Sunday was therefore a liberation. “I could finally prove that I am not a flash in the pan. That it was right to continue despite all the injuries.” Confidence in one’s own abilities has returned.
Although it did not appear in the sawdust, Van Messel’s preparations for this festival were anything but ideal.

The HSG student was co-organizer of an international conference. «We had 1000 guests on the university campus in St. Gallen. I have been working 75 hours a week for the past two weeks. There was still enough time to train and sleep,” he says. The 115-pound hunk also spent the day before the Zug Cantonal from morning to night cleaning up the HSG campus. But Van Messel does not want to complain. It was an intense and instructive time. He found the perfect conclusion with his victory on Sunday.

Source : Blick