The Nidwalden (3rd) was afraid that her performance in the super-G of the Beijing Games would not be enough for a medal. On the catwalk, she thought regarding that summer when she had mononucleosis.
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Many emotions this Friday, in Yanqing, for Michelle Gisin.
When last summer, when she was suffering from mononucleosis, Michelle Gisin mightn’t get out of bed, she mightn’t even find the strength to go eat or walk, she never would have imagined , that this Friday, February 11, she would be on the podium of the Olympic Games. Never, the Obwalden would have thought to live this great historic moment next to Lara-Gut Behrami, finally in gold at the Olympics. “This summer, I was on my sofa watching the Tokyo Games on TV and I thought to myself that for Beijing, I would definitely not be there.”
???? A picture says more than a thousand words – just goosebumps! Thank you for this unforgettable moment, Lara Gut-Behrami and Michelle Gisin!❤️????
Image: Keystone SDA#onfire #United4Excellence @swissteam @Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/ce7TFx5VPh
— SwissSkiTeam (@swissskiteam) February 11, 2022
Michelle Gisin does not hide the fact that this sneaky illness completely drained her. “It was a very difficult phase in my life where I found myself in a kind of depression, explains the skier from Engelberg. Suddenly, I started crying for two hours without really knowing why. Normally, you know me, I like life and laughing but there, I mightn’t do it anymore. I mightn’t do anything except sleep. It’s crazy when I think regarding it to be here with you, talking regarding this medal. This is the first thing that crossed her mind when on the podium, she received her bronze charm. “And then I started crying once more, but this time it was emotional tears.” Like a relief.
“Normally, you know me, I like life and laughing but there I mightn’t do it anymore.”
“It’s fantastic and really a dream for me, especially in super-G, continues Dominique’s sister, who has trained very little in speed this winter. But as odd as it may seem, I lose less energy than in technical events where between two rounds you have to keep the tension of the hours, it’s more difficult.
After two training sessions, Thursday, and this Friday morning, the Obwalden has regained the joy of skiing fast and the confidence before this super-G. “Despite two small faults on the top and a bump that I jumped a little too far to the right, it was a good race. I was afraid however that it would not be enough for a medal, but this time, it was me who was lucky. I must say thank you to the God of hundredths.”
“The next day following the slalom, I was still sad, but I told myself to stop crying like a baby.”
After coming so close to a first reward, Wednesday, in the slalom, going from second to sixth place, the disappointment had been immense for Michelle Gisin. “My first run had been so good that I mightn’t believe I hadn’t been able to take my chance. The medal was there, really there, that I was sad. But the next morning, I told myself to stop crying like a baby. That I was there at the Olympic Games and that I had to take advantage of it, that I would still have other chances.
It didn’t take long. The combined Olympic champion of PyeongChang has even already been entitled, alongside Lara Gut-Behrami, to the national anthem. “It was too beautiful, exclaims Michelle. You do a medal that’s not gold and you hear your national anthem, it’s great.”
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To share this podium with Lara Gut Behrami was also happiness for Michelle Gisin (on the right), while Mirjam Puchner was just as happy on the left.
And now, place for the descent, which will take place this Tuesday, in Yanqing, with hopefully, as many emotions…