diametric development

Created: 2022-02-08Updated: 2022-02-08, 8:10 p.m

By: Patrick Hilmes

Keeping an eye on the competition: Simon Jocher has established himself among the best.

In the Super-G he convinced as a strong 13th, now he is the only DSV athlete in the combined at the Olympics.

© IMAGO / GEPA Pictures

While the top people of the German speed team at the Olympic Winter Games are still chasing the leaders, Simon Jocher celebrates a strong debut with 13th place in the Super-G.

Now he competes in the combination.

The criticism is currently high for the alpine speed team of the German Ski Association.

A year ago, the men had won two silver medals at the World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Andreas Sander (downhill) and Romed Baumann (Super-G) were the celebrated heroes.

The media went wild with superlatives and celebrated the team enthusiastically.

The special thing: all this was possible without the superstar, without Thomas Dreßen from Mittenwald.

About twelve months later, everything is different, the mood is depressed, the faces long, the disappointment great.

At the Olympic Games there was no medal in either the downhill or the super-G, and you couldn't even compete.

Baumann was the best German both times.

In the downhill as 13th, he was 0.99 seconds short of bronze, in the Super-G in seventh place 0.74 seconds - in terms of speed, that's worlds.

 “Unfortunately we don't have Matthias Mayer with us.

We would have one, but unfortunately he is injured.” 

National coach Christian Schwaiger

The verdict of national coach Christian Schwaiger: "The performances in the downhill were not sufficient." The results of Baumann and Sander (eighth) in the Super-G, which the Austrian Matthias Mayer won, he describes as decent.

Now it's time to analyze why the speed men are so slow.

The national coach has already made one point, complaining about the "lack of willingness to take risks in the curves".

Another point is: "Unfortunately we don't have Matthias Mayer with us.

We would have one, but unfortunately he's injured.” The longing for a recovered and top-fit ​​Dreßen is great.

"But we mustn't think that when Tom comes back, everything will take care of itself."

Simon Jocher continues to establish himself among the best

The provisional Olympic conclusion: disillusionment instead of euphoria.

Some media are already writing that the speed team will start the return journey without a medal in their suitcase.

But there is still one competition to come, and the combination will follow on Thursday (downhill at 3.30 a.m., slalom at 7.15 a.m. – Central European Time).

DSV still has an ace up its sleeve: Simon Jocher from SC Garmisch.

Okay, the 25-year-old is not considered a medal contender.

But the native of Schongau, who lives in Grainau, reflects what you wish for the entire team: further development.

Because Jocher's results document a diametrical tendency.

In his second World Cup season, Jocher has established himself among the best and is consistently in the top 30 – with a few outliers.

Eighth place in the Val Gardena downhill is an example

another followed early Tuesday morning.

With start number 21, Jocher set out for the Super-G.

A small stumble in the first section cost time right away, but he rode the rest of the distance cleanly and quickly.

At the finish he struggled a bit with his run, but with 13th place Jocher celebrated a strong Olympic debut.

Now he represents the DSV in the combination in Beijing, which closes the circle for the 2021 World Cup.

Because in Cortina d'Ampezzo he had set his first big exclamation mark and was sensationally fifth.

His trainer Hannes Wagner believes he is capable of a repeat: "Top eight is possible." Basically, the conditions are even better than twelve months ago.

"Because at the World Championships, the Super-G was too easy, the slalom extremely difficult," remembers Wagner.

In Beijing, the descent will be more demanding, and the advantage for the technical specialists will be less.

Slalom training for Jocher: sometimes less is more

Jocher himself only trained the second part of the combination in the savings program, only practiced slalom a few days in summer and a few in winter.

The right dosage is important, as Wagner emphasizes.

"The difficulty is not practicing too much slalom." It's just a matter of getting used to the radius, turns and pole contact.

“If you train too much, you want to get better.

One wonders where can I get time.

But you would have to train a lot more for that.” A speed driver doesn't have enough time for that, after all he has to concentrate on his special discipline and work on it.

For Jocher it's all about feeling good, not about driving perfectly.

"Your head has to be off, otherwise you worry too much." If Jocher succeeds, he can provide another example of the diametrical development.