Gustav Thöni
The former ski star is celebrating his 70th birthday
Gustav Thöni in Trafoi
© Enno Kapitza
On February 28th Gustav Thöni celebrates his 70th birthday with his family. "Big celebrations were never mine," he reveals in an interview.
Gustav Thöni (70) was the best skier in the world in the 1970s, won the overall World Cup four times, five world championship titles and gold and silver at the Olympics. Later the South Tyrolean was the personal trainer of Alberto Tomba (54). On February 28th Gustav Thöni celebrates his 70th birthday with his family in the Hotel Bella Vista in Trafoi. He only feels like 35, as he reveals in the interview.
Happy 70th birthday!
Gustav Thöni: Thank you! How the time flies. 70 years. That sounds pretty old. I feel like I'm 35.
As a "35-year-old", have you already been vaccinated against Corona?
Thöni: No. But at 70 I am slowly becoming part of the risk group. As soon as I get a vaccination appointment, I get vaccinated immediately. Vaccination is a civic duty! This is the only way we can get out of the corona crisis.
Speaking of Corona. How badly are you affected by the pandemic?
Thöni: We are a long-established family of hoteliers. From an economic point of view, Corona is a disaster. My eldest daughter Petra runs our Bella Vista in Trafoi. The hotel has closed for months and everything is at a standstill. But our hotel survived two world wars, we will also survive Corona. People feel the need to travel again and will come again. Many regular guests have postponed their vacation to the next winter or summer. In summer 2020 we proved that hotel operations and Corona work. We all have to learn to live with Corona.
Are you satisfied with the corona policy?
Thöni: Our politicians are currently facing a very difficult situation. There is a lack of experience in this area. But I can't understand all the rules. Do the same rules have to apply in a mountain village with 50 souls like Trafoi as in a city of four million people like Rome?
Keyword Rome: Italy even has a government crisis …
Thöni: I'm appalled. But I have confidence in President Sergio Mattarella. Mario Draghi has also proven that he is a crisis manager. He probably has the right recipes that it needs now. You just have to let him. Italy now needs competent people who act instead of talk.
Now to the beautiful things in life: Were you skiing this winter?
Thöni: Last Christmas, for the first time in my life, I wasn't on skis. We currently have dream snow, but the lifts are closed. Normally I would be skiing with our hotel guests right now – it makes us cry. But you have to come to terms with it. I've got touring skis and I go up with my skins and then go down with joy. It reminds me of my childhood when we didn't have a lift either.
Tell us about your childhood – did you have role models back then?
Thöni: My first role model was my father Georg. He was a stylistically perfect skier, he also won several national titles as a young guy. Later I emulated Toni Sailer. In 1956 – when I was five years old – he had won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo. As a child I had a book by him under my pillow: I carefully studied all the image sequences. Incidentally, Toni Sailer's ancestors also come from Trafoi.
70 years in the snow: What are your most beautiful successes and memories?
Thöni: There are very many … the Olympic gold in Sapporo 1972 is something very special. Of course also the 1974 World Championships in St. Moritz, where I won two gold medals. In the slalom, I was only eighth after the first run – then I managed a dream run. The final of the overall World Cup in Val Gardena in 1975 was also exciting: Franz Klammer, Ingemar Stenmark and I were tied at the end of the season. We had to drive an all-important parallel slalom, and in front of 40,000 spectators, I was finally able to win my fourth World Cup. I also have fond memories of my time as coach of Alberto Tomba – it was a very exciting time.
What does skiing mean to you?
Thöni: Skiing is my life! As children we had nothing else, skiing and my successes allowed me to lead an extraordinary life. Skiing opened up the whole world to me, the shy little boy from the mountain village of Trafoi.
How do you celebrate your 70th birthday?
Thöni: Big celebrations were never mine. Seen in this way, Corona suits me (laughs). I will celebrate with my family at Bella Vista in Trafoi. My wife Ingrid and I, we were only children and have three daughters and now eleven grandchildren between the ages of 18 and three, there is always something going on. By the way, nine of my eleven grandchildren are already skiing …