Winner on Friday on the legendary “Streif” of Kitzbühel, French skier Cyprien Sarrazin assures that he “can do better tomorrow” (Saturday) for the second descent on the program and was delighted with the “little battle” with Marco Odermatt to the globe of the specialty.
What goes through your head when you see that you are ahead in Kitzbühel on this cult track?
Cyprien Sarrazin.- Right away it’s just incredible. I don’t have time to sit down, I’m doing interviews all over the place. It’s even more of a rush than in my race. It’s just crazy. “Lucho” (Luc Alphand, last French winner on the Kitzbühel downhill in 1997, Editor’s note) has just told me to take advantage of all these moments, that’s what I’m doing. Given my bib, I knew that if I came in first there was a good chance that I would. So when I saw number 1 I jumped for joy, I screamed like crazy. I no longer have a voice, I think I won’t speak tomorrow. These are big emotions. In one year (he fell in Kitzbühel in 2023, Editor’s note), I went through all the hardest and most incredible emotions of my entire life. That’s why I’m very proud of all the work I’ve done.”
Also read: “I am finally myself at 29 and it shows on the skis”: portrait of Cyprien Sarrazin, the new star of French alpine skiing
Do you feel capable of playing again on Saturday, for the second descent on the program? Today I’m not on cloud nine. My run wasn’t perfect. I made a few mistakes at the top, I felt it was going to be limited. (…) It didn’t come down to much, five hundredths, it’s really nothing but it’s ahead. Tomorrow I know what I have to do, I know I can do better. I will try to recover well but I am not putting limits on myself.“
You are only 26 points behind Marco Odermatt for the small downhill World Cup globe. Are you thinking about it?Marco said to me at the finish line how far ahead of me are you? . I told him you’re still ahead of me, I think (laughs). We discussed earlier, it’s a small battle, I’m chipping away at it little by little, but we’ll see at the end of the season.”
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