Sven Hannawald- warrior nature
Two years ago he was still the undisputed winner 50. 4-Hills-Tournament with four wins to his name. He wrote a page in history and achieved pop star popularity.
Sven Hannawald is undoubtedly one of the best and most popular ski jumpers of our time.
Last winter he suffered a sharp fall and a premature end to the season.
Place 24. in the World Cup standings was the worst result in seven years for the player from Hinterzarten.
From the season 1997/98 Hannawald has always been in the top ten of the World Cup.
Due to his interruption of the season, the German lost a lot in the eyes of fans and observers.
Now Sven Hannawald is under medical care, because he is on the verge of exhaustion and needs one thing above all: peace.
A. K.: How are you currently?
Sven Hannawald: I'm going on vacation soon. The season was stressful and cost me so much nerves, like none so far. It will probably take a long time for me to really recover and be ready to fight again.
A. K.: Where is the cause of this, that you haven't been in shape this season from previous years?
Sven Hannawald: As always, I had strength training planned for the summer, but with infections and all that, it wasn't as intense. This turned me off a lot.
I always started training at the gym, and then I had to take a break. I didn't do all the exercises, not even half of it. I was doing well physically. I've seen it, for example, always in football matches. There were no problems with it at all, but i lost my strength and speed, because I couldn't train like the others.
“The hole had nothing to do with the coach change”
A. K.: Do you see any connection between the change of coach and your lower performance??
Sven Hannawald: NO, I don't believe it. It has nothing to do with each other, because Wolfgang Steiert is also a personal trainer. We always trained at home, and with Reinhard Heß we worked on training camps. Therefore, there is not much difference compared to Reinhard's training. So the two cases cannot be related.
A. K.: However, there were discussions between you and Wolfgang Steiert, that have been widely reported in the media. Would you like to correct or clarify something??
Sven Hannawald: NO, these were unhappy statements and that has now been taken care of. We agreed everything, we talked and now it's fine. Only that matters. Of course, there are always many things, that are blown by the media, especially in this situation, like a coach change. But as previously agreed
and talked. We worked together all year and because of the bad season, I don't believe it, that something will break.
:A. K.: You would describe your relationship as good?
Sven Hannawald: As quite normal. Probably after things, that have taken place, anything else would be acting. Despite this, I see Wolfgang as my coach and only him.
“It annoys me, that this winter I didn't keep up”
A. K.: Celebrating such successes, how did you relate, high demands are placed on it. Have you come to terms with last season's results??
Sven Hannawald: I'm not a player, who looks at the results. It just annoys me, that this winter I didn't keep up. The results are a secondary or even tertiary matter. It comes out by itself. The main problem was just that, that I saw, how far I have fallen behind and that I can no longer overtake. It's not children's day, when everyone gets presents, you have to work hard for everything here. As soon as I get my physical form and it goes a little worse once, but despite this, the main assumptions will be met, the rest comes by itself.
But once I know, that the assumptions are not met, it's hard to see Hannie laid back. I just can't do that, I'm not an actor.
“When you take everything seriously, it can turn you crazy”
A. K.: How are you feeling, when matters concerning you are discussed in the media, you are the last to know about?
Sven Hannawald: I do not take part in such discussions as before. I see, that my form is going up, and the rest is unimportant. So much has already been written, that if everything was taken seriously, you could go crazy. Even when in good shape, everything would be really denied and all subjects would be confronted – season wouldn't be any easier. Definitely no. For me it is secondary.
A. K.: You were quite happy with it, that last season you were the center of attention once every few weeks?
Sven Hannawald: I can't really say, that only this year I had peace. Thank God, that Uhri always filled the hole. This year it was Schorsch, who never gave up.
This is a problem: whenever I jumped wrong, everything was in doubt. And this is a huge problem. Looking at Uhrie's season, Schorscha, or also summer Maxie – these are all huge advances. But when one season didn't go well for me or Martin, everything is questionable, because we're like signboards. For our successors, it was very much, very good season. Everyone knows, that there is not only Hannawald or Schmitt, but there are others, who met the basic requirements. It will be important for us, when we are no more. It was very positive. Of course, that no one can see now, but it would be nice, if it was mentioned. Then not everything would be negative.
“I'm no big attacker”
A. K.: During the season you have certainly gathered a lot of new experiences. What was positive for you last winter?
Sven Hannawald: I am positively surprised myself, that I fought. Normally I would have given up after the 4-Hills-Tournament, but I still tried, although I didn't make it to the end of the season. It was really ok, that at the world championships in ski flying I showed myself from a good side. Can't claim, I'm a big attacker, because I finally quit after competing in America. It's just an experience right now, that success is very much, very beautiful, but there are other sides as well and we had to experience them this year unfortunately.
“Hello, boy, you could be so beautiful!”
A. K.: You've had no thoughts this season, to stop jumping. Didn't you think: I have a girlfriend, I could start a family now, build a house – why shouldn't I do that?
Sven Hannawald: So, at such moments, when the season doesn't work out, I wish I didn't always think about the bad, especially when you see, that in private life is now brilliant. With my girlfriend, I have my own apartment now, with parents, my sister will have her baby soon and so on. These are all things, which is viewed from a different angle, when things go wrong. Thus, I am physically exhausted, little thoughts arise, that say “Hello, boy, you could be so beautiful!” But I don't want to feed them, so that they don't get bigger. Anyway, I want to continue my career, I have beautiful memories.
I can only jump a few more years and I would like to enjoy it. It's great, that private life runs alongside it, but I have invested so many years, that because of one bad season, I don't want to quit.
A. K.: Do you think, that this attitude could change, If only the next season went like this?
Sven Hannawald: I'd really like to continue jumping – open end! I would like to go this way for so long, until there's a chance, to go back to the old form. But if I ever realize, that I can't get it anymore, I will quit, whether it turns out later, it was better to do it earlier. I would like to go that far for myself, let my body show signs: “boy, this is the time.” Then I will end my career. And that's not why, that would be the best way, or something like that. I will quit, when my body is no longer capable of such effort.
“Thank you fans for your support”
A. K.: Anything else you'd like to say to your fans??
Sven Hannawald: Many thanks for your support! I can promise, that this was not my last season and I will do my best, so as not to disappoint again in the next one.