Rate it!

1 votes

Austria's Benjamin Raich talks to Eurosport about the new season and the first race of the season at Soelden.

Q: The season starts with the race in Soelden. Are you looking forward to the five upcoming months or are you a bit scared?

Raich: No, I'm not scared. On the contrary. My hobby is my profession and I can do what I really enjoy: skiing. Of course, not everything is always perfect. There are more pleasant things I can imagine than practising in the freezing cold of -30 degrees. But I can tell you that I love 99 per cent of my job.

Q: How much time did you need to overcome your defeat to big rival Askel-Lund Svindal in the World Cup last season?

Raich: It has been one of the biggest defeats in my career. It hurt a lot. But after one or two weeks it was okay. During that day at the final of the season - the slalom in Are - I was fit. But then I made this mistake and the success all of a sudden had gone. I had to overcome that. Even if you always want to win, you quickly have to forget things and be happy with what you have achieved. For five or six years I have been one of the top racers in the world and that is a good sign.

Q: How has the preparation been for the new season so far?

Raich: I stayed in Europe this year instead of flying to Chile or New Zealand. I'm very happy with that decision. The weather was good and we had excellent training conditions. I was healthy during the whole off-season and could complete my programme without any problems.

Q: After Hermann Maier's retirement you are the clear number one in Austria. Now you have to deal with all the pressure. How do you handle it?

Raich: I don't know whether I'm the absolute number one in Austria. I think that Hermann was one of the best athletes and one of the best skiers of all time. When you look back at the last two years he was superior in Super-G, but in the rest of the disciplines he wasn't as good as he was before. Michael Walchhofer and I, for example, were stronger. I think that it's a pity that he is no longer with us - even if nothing is going to change for me.

Q: What goals do you have for the season and in particular for the Olympic Games in Vancouver?

Raich: My goal is absolutely clear: the Olympic gold medal. But I could also be happy with silver. In races you always want to win, and I want to win in the Olympic Games and the World Cup.

Women's Giant Slalom 1st Run LIVE on Saturday at 8:45 on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe

Eurosport