No Mediocrity: Why Schwarz is Giving Up Slalom

"It was one of the toughest decisions in my career," says Marco Schwarz - referring to the end of his slalom career.

The 31-year-old Carinthian will "phase out" slalom and will primarily compete in giant slalom and Super-G, as well as selected downhills, in the upcoming Ski World Cup season.

"With all the surrounding circumstances, the planning, and the FIS calendar, four disciplines are no longer compatible," says Schwarz at a media event on Tuesday in Vienna. "At some point, I need to recover; I'm already over 30. I also have a history of injuries, so I simply have to be reasonable."

Victories and Podiums Instead of Mediocrity in Four Disciplines

He felt in the last year or two that it made more sense to focus on three disciplines "rather than being mediocre in four disciplines."

"I want to concentrate my efforts so I can win races and compete for the podium. It simply makes more sense if I put my main focus on giant slalom and Super-G. I also want to move towards downhill in the future," explains Schwarz.

"I Still Love Slalom"

"I still love slalom; it's an incredibly beautiful discipline. But since the last injury, it hasn't developed the way I would have liked. If I had wanted to take the step into slalom again, I would have had to invest a lot of time again. I simply feel that I still have so much more potential in the speed disciplines," says the ÖSV star.

Giant slalom, Super-G, and downhill could be combined much better than slalom, giant slalom, and Super-G.

However, the winner of the 2020/21 small crystal globe does not want to completely banish slalom. Schwarz wants to continue training slalom occasionally and can imagine competing in one or two races after the World Championships in February - such as at the World Cup final.

"If it makes sense, isn't an additional burden, and I don't take a spot away from anyone," says Schwarz.