Marco Schwarz does not let go of his “great love”.

With second place in the Soldeu Super-G, the Carinthian brought the fast part-times of the past few weeks to the piste for the first time in one run in such a way that it was enough for a ski pole lesson. For Black, a directional decision with possible separation pain is announced.

Does he increasingly accept compromises in the training-intensive slalom in favor of the speed disciplines and the overall World Cup? Schwarz saw what was possible down the slope on Thursday when only World Cup dominator Marco Odermatt was faster. “Slalom is my great love, but of course Odi (Odermatt, note) makes the big points with the three disciplines (giant slalom, super-G, downhill). They have a lot in common, but I don’t want slalom at all Omit the case,” said Schwarz.

Odermatt competitor?

He hopes that as an all-rounder he will soon be able to enter the ring as an Odermatt competitor. “I would like to continue like this. Four disciplines are brutal, almost impossible.” He thinks the balancing act is possible. “It needs a good division, it has to feel good, then it will fit.” The marathon that Schwarz has been running since the turn of the year suggests a horse’s lungs. But it is not for nothing that there is currently no skier in the World Cup who has consistently mastered all four disciplines at the highest level.

In the slalom, with which the men end their season on Sunday, Schwarz has not been on the podium for more than two years. In the slalom in winter 2020/21, the 27-year-old also got his only small crystal ball so far. “He already has that, so he can let it be at some point,” Marko Pfeifer, the head coach of the ÖSV men, wishes the full-time speed driver Schwarz in the second educational path. “He’s just having a hard time skipping the slalom.”

“What a Talent”

“What a talent, you can see what a touch he has,” even speed star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was amazed on Thursday after Black had distanced him by four tenths. Of course, Pfeifer also knows that Schwarz, as a former junior world champion in Super-G, knows how to handle the long bars. And on top of that would serve as reinforcement for the rather thinned-out downhill team. “With Marco Schwarz, a new star has risen in the speed sector. That also inspires the team, that pushes us. If he stays healthy and gets a little more experience on the descent, he’ll be one of the top contenders when it comes to victories,” said Piper.

According to Pfeifer, the current plan also includes slalom for Black. But probably to a reduced extent. Eating at the top level is the order of the day. “At some point, when you’re missing the slalom days, it will be difficult. Then you have to assess whether it still makes sense.” Logically, you will be careful when preparing for the technology. “In spring we still want to push speed. And the giant slalom swing is a basic swing that you need,” said Pfeifer.

After respectable successes at the World Championships as fourth in downhill and sixth in Super-G, Schwarz has now made it onto the podium. After slalom, combination, parallel events and giant slalom, only the supreme discipline downhill is missing from his list. At the start of the 2023/24 season, he will no longer be an outsider there either.