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SKI

Cuche claims season’s first downhill

Swiss racer Didier Cuche got the defence of his alpine World Cup downhill title off to a successful start by clinching the first downhill of the season on Saturday.

Cuche claims season's first downhill
Christian Jansky (File)

The 37-year-old Cuche, who also won in Lake Louise two years ago, clocked one minute, 47.28 seconds to edge Swiss compatriot Beat Feuz who finished in 1:47.34. Austria’s Hannes Reichelt finished third in 1:47.36.

“I had to laugh when I saw the green light for me in the finish because I had trouble in both training runs so I was not on the list as one of the favourites,” Cuche said.

It marked the 18th career World Cup victory and 10th downhill win for the Swiss speed specialist Cuche, who at 37 years, three months holds the record as the oldest winner in history of a World Cup race.

Rising star Feuz’s only win on the World Cup circuit came in the downhill at Kvitfjell, Norway, last year. The 24-year-old also skied well in both training runs this week, finishing 10th in Friday’s final training run.

“He (Cuche) is a ski legend so to be behind him gives a sweeter taste to my second place finish,” Feuz said.

Starting from the 45th position Saturday, Reichelt skied his way into third place, bumping Austrian compatriot Romed Baumann off the podium.

Baumann finished fourth in 1:47.63 and Klaus Kröll was fifth in 1:47.75 as three Austrians placed in the top five.

“My training was going very good so I had a lot of confidence,” Reichelt said.

Cuche placed a disappointing 32nd in the final training run Friday, saying that strong winds pushed him off his track and resulted in him finishing more than two seconds back of the leader.

But Cuche was able to take advantage of a break in the weather on race day as a steady snowfall gave way to a brief period of sunshine as he started his charge down the course.

Cuche celebrated at the finish line with his signature move, kicking his right ski off and then catching it in mid-air.

“It was strange to win after those two training runs. I was lucky that I got good weather with no wind. Usually at Lake Louise you have to be lucky with the weather and today I was,” Cuche said.

After his poor results in the training runs, Cuche said he made some adjustments to his equipment.

“I made a lot of changes to my skis and boots to make them less aggressive,” he said.

Adrien Theaux, who was the fastest in Friday’s training, finished tied for sixth at 1:47.91. American Bode Miller was ninth with a time of 1:48.01. Last year’s World Cup overall champ Ivica Kostelic of Croatia finished tied for 39th.

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SWITZERLAND EXPLAINED

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

Have you heard of Schwingen? Switzerland's national sport involves jute shorts, sawdust, and a whole lot of wrestling,

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

While relatively unknown outside of Switzerland, and largely concentrated in the country’s German-speaking cantons, Schwingen is Switzerland’s homegrown form of wrestling.

In a sawdust ring, two competitors aim to throw each other onto their backs, with both shoulders touching the ground. Each time this is achieved, a point is awarded to the victor.

All this throwing is achieved by grabbing the leather belt attached to the jute shorts worn by the combatants.

As simple as this sounds, there are several styles of Schwingen and hundreds of recorded holds and grips. Size and strength play a significant role in Schwingen, but flexibility cannot be discounted as a factor in determining a champion. 

A proud history 

Like any martial art, the origins of Schwingen are lost to history, but it’s safe to say that just like the Schuhplattler of neighbouring Bavaria – that’s the slappy lederhosen dance – it’s been around for thousands of years, practised by mountain tribes, and later shepherds tending mountain flocks.

The first depictions in art date from the 13th century and the first written records from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, when local church authorities sought to crack down on the rowdy celebrations that these competitions were associated with.

Indeed, Schwingen was massively restricted for hundreds of years, under the fear that it was leading to drunkenness and all manner of other sinning. The large majority of Schwingen meets at this time took place in isolated areas, far from prying eyes. 

All of this changed with the arrival of industrialization, railways and tourism. With many flocking to rural Switzerland for the beauty of outdoor spaces and quaint local customs, Schwingen was brought back to the cities by fascinated spectators and became so popular that it needed to be codified and organized to regulate it.

To this end, the Schwingerverbandes, or Federal Wrestling Association was founded in 1895.

Read More: Schwingen: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s ‘national sport’

More popular than ever 

Schwingen is now a very popular sport within Switzerland, practised by a dedicated core of amateurs and professionals, and watched by far, far more,

Experiencing a further boom throughout the 20th century, boosted by broadcast media, it became mass entertainment. It’s a televised sport, revolving around several key meets, at the canton and federal levels. In addition to youth Schwingen, there have been women’s competitions since 1980.

The Federal Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival is the apogee of competitive Schwingen, held every three years – think of it like a Swiss Olympics. The next will be in Glarnerland in 2025. 

Another massive event for Schwingen fans is the Unspunnenfest, held every twelve years in Interlaken. The next of these will be held in 2029.

Crowned in 2022, Joel Wicki from the canton of Luzern is the current Swiss Schwingen champion. Topping out at just over six feet, and weighing in at 110kg, he’s far from the biggest contestants – but then again, it’s not always strength that matters in a Schwingen bout. 

Want to get involved? 

While Schwingen isn’t exactly the kind of thing that international visitors generally involve themselves in, there is a fully packed calendar of events throughout the year for spectators.

These range from indoor events in the winter months, to the larger outdoor competitions during the summer. You can find out more on the Federal Wrestling Association’s website.

You can also track Schwingen competitions, and find out where to watch them on TV or online, via Sport.ch.

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