New Faces In The Swiss Ski Squads
The snow has melted, summer is in full swing – and yet the next winter is already looming. Swiss-Ski has selected 58 athletes for one of its squads. They officially become part of the Swiss-Ski family this season.
They've done it: Starting this season, 30 women and 28 men will wear the Swiss Ski logo on their chests. For many, it's their first major milestone in elite sport; for others, it's a return to the national stage. After one of the most successful seasons in the association's history—with a total of 26 World Championship medals, 134 World Cup podium finishes, and outstanding performances across all disciplines—the next generation is now ready.
In total, talents from nine of Swiss-Ski's eleven sports were newly selected. The total number of squad members thus rises to 325 – eight more than last year.
From zero straight to the B-squad
Several athletes have made the jump directly from the regional association to the B-squad—a clear sign of their great potential. These include Zoé Mannhart, Vanessa Kasper, and Loïc Chable (all alpine skiing), Fabienne Alder (cross-country skiing), and Coralie Langel and Dajan Danuser (both biathlon).
Even though all of them were newly selected, not all of the faces are really new: Some of them were previously part of a Swiss Ski squad, were demoted in the meantime – and are now returning.
The comeback of the Olympic champion
Iouri Podladtchikov is celebrating a very special comeback. The 2014 Olympic halfpipe champion returned to the competition stage last season, four and a half years after his retirement – and how: The 36-year-old finished sixth at the World Cup in Calgary. Shortly thereafter, however, he tore his cruciate ligament during training. He's currently working on his comeback from the comeback – as a member of the A-team.
There was also a first at the association level: Martina Wyss became the first athlete to switch from the national telemark team to another discipline—and directly into the ski cross C squad. The multiple Telemark World Championship medalist suffered severe injuries to both knees while training for the European Cup final in ski cross, but is already working hard on her way back.
There's also good news from disciplines with smaller squads: Two promising talents, Lino Wernli (Aerials) and Fedro Bognuda (Moguls), have been newly selected. At 13, Lino Wernli is also the youngest member of the Swiss-Ski squad. Their inclusion is exemplary of the continuous and dedicated development work in these sports, where every new addition counts.
These are the new members of the Swiss-Ski squad
- Alpine Skiing (22) - Loïc Chable, Joel Bebi, Robert Clarke, Mathieu Glassey, Aymeric Hannart, Nick Rickenbach, Niklas Trummer, Cyril Vocat, Allegra Frei, Vanessa Kasper, Zoé Mannhart, Lara Bianchi, Minna Bont, Sarina Dörig, Sina Elsa, Anna Flatscher, Sophia Flatscher, Juliette Fournier, Nina Lehmann, Céline Reichenbach, Serena Stebler, Leandra Zehnder
- Cross-country skiing (7) - Fabienne Alder, Jonas Bärfuss, Nina Cantieni, Victor Gailland, Wilma Lauenstein, Tim Marti, Lavio Müller
- Biathlon (7) - Dayan Danuser, Coralie Langel, Jens Berger, Sophia Imwinkelried, Molly Kafka, Levin Kunz, Vince Vogel
- Snowboard Alpine (3) - Gino Bacchi, Bignia Schulz, Anja Frank
- Snowboard Cross (9) - Gilles Bonnard, Kenny Schläppi, Lars Engler, Luca Carina Engler, Noah Kocherhans, Timon Stadler, Alina Koller, Nuria Gubser, Rosa Colella
- Snowboard Freestyle (3) - Reef Hasler, Yuna Scheidegger, Iouri Podladtchikov
- Skicross (4) - Renzo Ryter, Valentine Lagger, Martina Wyss, Leena Thommen
- Freeski (1) - Alan Bornet
- Aerials (1) - Lino Wernli
- Moguls (1) - Fedro Bognuda
