Interview with Lena Dürr: "I still enjoy skiing a lot"

Created: 04/04/2022Updated: 04/04/2022 10:29 am

By: Peter Loder

Lena Dürr takes a seat in the Olympic rings in Beijing.

In the team competition, the Germeringer won a silver medal.

© Private

In the Tagblatt interview, Lena Dürr from Germeringer talks about what was probably the most eventful year of her long skiing career.

Germering

– In addition to US superstar Mikaela Shiffrin and Czech Petra Vlhova, Lena Dürr dominated the slalom slopes of the world this season.

After the Germeringer native had already announced in an interview with Peter Loder at the beginning of the season that she would "go beyond the limit", she now once again answered the questions of the Tagblatt reporter after completing the project and the crowning glory.

Lena Dürr: "I was on the podium in almost half of my slalom races, that's cool"

After 14 years in the World Cup circus, it was the most successful season of your career.

What weighs more: Olympic silver in the team competition in Beijing or being the third best slalom skier in the overall World Cup rankings?

That's hard to compare.

The chance of an Olympic medal only comes every four years.

That we as a team were able to perform so well that day makes us proud.

The overall ranking in the slalom is the result of a really good and consistent season and shows that I've always been at the top for months.

Having an Olympic medal at home was clearly a big goal.

But to keep fighting all those years in slalom, to be so close to the top but never to reach the podium, that was a task in the last few years.

It was all the nicer now to see that it is worth never giving up and persevering.

I've been on the podium in almost half of my slalom races, that's cool.

How much does fourth place and the missed individual medal at the Olympics still hurt after you led in the first round?

Yes, that was a day with a full load of emotions that I have never experienced at any race before.

That's a great place in a World Cup race, but unfortunately probably the most thankless place in the Olympics.

I'm still satisfied with my sporting performance.

A lot of things came together that day and unfortunately, hundredths of luck weren't on my side.

Every now and then I think: What if... But then it quickly catches up with me and I'm proud of having fought for the Olympic victory.

In the overall slalom ranking, Lena Dürr finished third this season.

© Private

Lena Dürr: "For me, skiing is a bit like a puzzle"

You've never been on the podium as often as this season.

What did you do differently this time than in previous years?

I have asked myself this question many times over the last few months.

If I knew for sure, I probably would have done it much earlier.

For me, skiing is a bit like a puzzle.

The more pieces that fit together, the clearer the picture will be.

Skiing is a very complex sport, every year is a new challenge and the learning process never stops.

There are always new ideas and approaches and things that didn't work out are gone.

I think I've gone in the right direction, step by step.

It was striking that you were never eliminated prematurely this season.

That wasn't always the case in previous years.

Is it experience or do you have a new secret to success?

A lot of things went according to plan this season.

The fact that I was on the podium twice right at the beginning in Levi gave me a lot of confidence and ease.

I was then able to take this with me to the next races.

I've missed that in the past few years and so small insecurities become noticeable and mistakes creep in.

The crowning achievement would have been victory at the World Cup final.

After the first round she was the fastest again, and again, second place didn't make it all the way up.

Are you still upset about it?

At the finish I had to get annoyed for a moment, but that quickly goes away.

This second place is my best World Cup result in slalom and to be on the podium is always a great achievement.

Lena Dürr: "Where, when and whether it will be enough for victory remains to be seen"

In 2013 you won the City Event in Moscow.

That was a parallel slalom.

But a "real" World Cup victory is still missing in your balance sheet.

Where would be the right place for this in the new season?

That's correct.

I already have a few favorite stops on the World Cup Tour that I particularly enjoy riding.

I want to be everywhere quickly, so now it's time to stay busy in the summer so that I'll be ready again next winter.

For me, it's primarily about concentrating on my tasks on race days and getting everything out of it.

Where, when and whether it will be enough for victory remains to be seen.

After the Olympics and the World Cup successes, the media hype was huge.

Are there still a lot of appointments or TV appearances and what does your holiday planning look like?

There's always something coming up, but that's nice and shows interest in my good performance.

I haven't planned a vacation yet.

Now I'm enjoying a little time at home and we'll do a few more days of skiing and equipment tests with the team.

When and how do the preparations for the new season begin?

First, the team for the new season must be put together.

We are then informed by our coaches about the planning and we then discuss what went well in the past season and where we can improve.

The planning and content of the training is also adjusted afterwards with my fitness trainer at the Olympic base in Garmisch.

Lena Dürr: "I'll definitely concentrate on the slalom again"

So far, unlike Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova, you have only competed in slalom.

Which is why the two all-rounders have also earned bonuses of around 400,000 Swiss francs each this season.

You have an account of 72,000 francs in the FIS list.

Apart from the financial incentive: will we also see you in giant slalom, super-G or even downhill in the future?

I don't think money is the incentive for the top athletes to start racing.

I will definitely be concentrating very much on the slalom again and I hope that there will be more parallel races on the calendar next winter.

Concentrating mainly on the slalom and the parallel events for the last two years has paid off.

In training, I still do a lot on giant slalom skis.

At the next Olympic Games in Turin in 2026 you would be 34 years old.

Actually the perfect age to end your career with an individual medal.

How do you feel about that, especially since you've been spared major injuries so far?

I'm not thinking that far yet, I'm planning from season to season.

Physically I feel very good and I really enjoy skiing.

I don't know how long that's been like this.

"Germering is and will always be my home"

You live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but are regularly in Germering.

After the Olympics, are you now recognized and spoken to on the street more often?

No, that has not happened until now.

At the men's slalom world cup in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Lena Dürr took to the slopes as a camera operator and delivered impressive images.

© Peter Kornatz

What does Germering mean to you and do you have a favorite place in your hometown?

Germering is and will always be my home.

So much happened there, my sisters and I had the most brilliant childhood and a large part of our family lives there.

I think that the place where you grow up will always be something special for everyone, no matter where you end up later.

I don't have a favorite place in Germering, except maybe our garden.

(Peter Loder)