Marco Schwarz:

“A cool and courageous decision by Marcel”

Austrian triple victory at the 2019 World Championships in Are: Schwarz (right) took bronze, Hirscher gold ahead of Michael Matt.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer / Kronenzeitung)

Marcel Hirscher is back in the Ski World Cup: current and former teammates of the 35-year-old from Salzburg are also delighted. Marco Schwarz and Reinfried Herbst have high hopes for the eight-time overall World Cup winner. The comeback already has one winner: Skiing!

The news of Marcel Hirscher's planned comeback hit the ski world like a bomb. Marco Schwarz, who is working after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in December, was also surprised - but excited: "The fact that Marcel is coming back is a mega story for skiing - I think it's a cool and brave decision on his part."

Schwarz shared special moments in his career with the Salzburg native: at his first podium finish in Madonna Di Campiglio in 2015, he shared the podium with Hirscher, who came second at the time. In 2019 at the World Championships in Are, the two of them ensured a historic triple slalom victory alongside Michael Matt.

Marco Schwarz (right) made his first World Cup podium alongside Hirscher in December 2015.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Hirscher will also be a force to be reckoned with in the absolute world elite in the future - at least if Schwarz has his way: "I am convinced that he will have collected the necessary FIS points relatively quickly so that he can get going again in the World Cup." ÖSV head coach Marko Pfeifer has a similar opinion: "It goes without saying that he hasn't forgotten how to ski. If he can get back into a competitive range with his start number, he can be right up there at the front again in the World Cup."

He has freedom in the Netherlands
Former slalom World Cup winner Reinfried Herbst emphasized to the "Krone" that he was quite surprised by Marcel's decision. "It's a brutal boost for skiing, the attention will be very high in the coming moments. And he himself knows exactly what he's getting himself into, what's in store for him." The 45-year-old does not believe that it is purely a marketing stunt by the Salzburg native: "He wouldn't put up with all this for that."

The decision to compete for the Netherlands in the future makes sense from Herbst's point of view: "He can let off steam there, he is his own boss and can do almost anything he wants. The rules are stricter with a federation as big as the ÖSV. He would also have to fit back into an existing system, in the Netherlands everything is geared towards him alone."

"Looking forward to exciting duels "
Physically, the return is already an "enormous undertaking", says Herbst. Despite Hirscher's five-year break from the World Cup, Schwarz does not see fitness as an obstacle: "He has never stopped training and is fit. And of course he has the comparison with Kristoffersen and Haugan." So Hirscher knows where he stands. Schwarz: "I wish him all the best and am looking forward to the one or other duel on the slopes, it will be exciting."