The debutants are good for a medal

Four games – zero wins. Who is considered the main sample, might think: Four young men tremble before her first big appearance of the knee. By no means! "Even if it does not show the results, we are in a good mood," says Yannick Schwaller, Skip of the team Bern-Zähringer,. To add that the team at the first-class Grand Slam in the canadian Pictou County missed too many chances and the one or other mistake a lot have made. "In these tournaments, the average performance is not enough. The level is high, higher than one of EM."

And it is precisely on this title fight Schwaller, Marcel Käufeler, Romano Meier, and Michael Brunner represented Switzerland starting on Saturday. It is their first participation in a major event on Elite. Where qualification can be described as a Surprise. Bern-Zähringer was against Geneva, and is by far the most successful Swiss team in the last few years. The Olympic bronze medallist from 2018 missed seven took part in world and European Championships for 2014 only a one-Time medal.

a New qualification-mode

In the cards played by the young Bernese Team – none of the athletes older than 25 – the last year a valid qualification mode. The best three results to count per Team to the tournaments of the World Curling Tour – previously, the EM-Ticket in a qualifying tournament has been awarded. Thanks to the good season starts and three tournament victories on the Tour of Bern continued to Geneva with the mini edge by painting 133,2 to 131,4 points.

"the Other has the might be surprised," says Schwaller, "not me." Because of the strong competition from Geneva, she had been aware of the fact that there is a need for a good start to the season. Said and done. At the Masters in Baden about the outsiders defeated in the semi-final in Geneva and in the Final, Sweden the three-time world champion Skip Niklas Edin. And the Bern Team joined in the Top 10 in the world rankings. As a "milestone" referred to Schwaller this step. "We have invested a lot of. Curling is for us to be 100 percent sports." The draughtsman, for example, works only about three months out of the year in his original profession, otherwise, the Sport is at the top of his priority list.

Schwaller and Meier won 2014 already the Junior world champion title. For the past three years, the two together play well with Käufeler and Brunner. A Solothurner, two of Aargau and Appenzell, therefore, to form the Team Bern-Zähringer – for practical reasons. Schwaller moved in the Junior age to Bern, Meier and Brunner live in the capital.

Olympic gold as a long-term goal

And the four men Great have, your is ultimate goal: Olympic gold in 2022. Not only are the Olympic participation, as this would communicate most of the Teams. To qualify "for a big event, might be a good target. But we can grow in the tournament, yet beyond us? Maybe the air is outside already," says Schwaller.

for the time being, the Team will gather in the Swedish city of Helsingborg valuable experience. What is it – true to the courageous communication, though it is not compelled, deep zustapeln.

As the number 3 of the tournament, the Swiss want a medal; a success would earn you important points for the Olympic qualification. Should Schwaller succeed, he would lead a family tradition. Father, Christof, and uncle Andrew were one of the most successful Curlers in the country; they won the 2002 Olympic Bronze and several times European and world championship precious metal.

And then his girlfriend Briar Hürlimann, whose father triumphed in 1998 at the Olympic Games is here. "The comparisons annoy me sometimes," says Schwaller. "Dear me, if instead of the family heritage, the team performance is in the foreground." As of Saturday, he can take care of this.

Created: 13.11.2019, 11:10 PM