The Confederate in Pratteln stands for the end of an era in swinging. After four Bernese king titles in a row, Joel Wicki triumphed, who has conquered a curse for his central Swiss sub-federation.
Suddenly launches the decisive attack in the final passage: Joel Wicki.
The dramatic escalation crowned the exciting competition. The TV expert Matthias Sempach, the wrestling king of 2013, even said he had rarely seen a better finish. In the end everything was turned upside down again. Joel Wicki, who had almost only been able to defend himself in the last fight, suddenly launched the decisive attack – and this when the fiasco was soon threatening.
If Wicki had provided Matthias Aeschbacher, for the first time since 1950, no king would have been proclaimed at the Confederation, there would have been only three first crowned. And that would have been “not good”, as the head of division, Stefan Strebel, noted. The wrestling country, which had only just recovered from the pandemic, was thirsty for a new king. And unlike the last four times, it wasn’t a Berner, which adds spice to this sport.
It became a central Swiss – and they are simply happy that they have overcome a curse. Again and again it was said how it could be that as the largest sub-association in more than 120 years they had only produced one king, Harry Knüsel in 1986. Since then, they have come close to the king’s title several times, just think of the spectacular failure of Eugen Hasler, known as “Geni Schränz”, who once presented himself as too sure of victory – and went down in history as the best wrestler who never became king. And again and again polemics reached the public, which obviously occupied the ranks of the central Swiss.
For example, that they had too little team spirit because too many cantons belonged to their sub-association. Or that they have a boss who can’t assert himself enough at decisive moments. The current incumbent even had to face an opponent in a campaign election in 2020. They parted ways with a team coach.
Over the course of this season, some of their trump cards have fallen out of shape. And on the Stoos, they had to put up with the accusation that they not only swung moderately, but now also unfairly divided up guest wrestlers. Now Joel Wicki has redeemed the badly battered. Also because he had a surprisingly strong teammate in Pirmin Reichmuth who took the load off him.
Joel Wicki had to suffer in the final.
And Wicki has a private coach who accompanies him to the swinging ground, which would have been unthinkable in this sport in the past. Christian Stucki had such a trainer when he won the title three years ago. Such soul-massaging whisperers seem to be becoming more and more important in swinging, although they’re not universally welcomed on the scene. Wicki had optimally controlled his burdens on the Federal side.
One of the winners of this Federal: the functionary Stefan Strebel.
The functionary Stefan Strebel also became a winner of the festival. He was sometimes met with harsh criticism when he dared to give less weight to old unwritten rules when dividing up the first top pairings, in contrast to some of his predecessors. But his tactics proved clever. And that should give him a boost, who as a nonconformist in this sport occasionally offends.
Maybe that will also help him in the discussion about the VAR. Strebel would like to try out this controversial tool in wrestling, but traditionalists in particular have met with strong resistance. In Pratteln, the debate has not diminished. Jörg Abderhalden, another TV expert and king, spoke of a wrong decision when Reichmuth was not awarded victory in his second to last course. Had he been successful, he would have been in the last stride – and might have been king today. But it also showed that the VAR would harbor pitfalls. In the final phase of the festival he would have been consulted several times, which would have delayed the decision even further.
If you look at the atmosphere at the festival, you will notice that the fascination for wrestling has not waned despite Corona. In Pratteln there was halligalli in and around the arena almost around the clock. With regard to the quality of the organization, those responsible in Pratteln did not quite come close to the 2019 event, when the Zug OC had set a very high standard. Missing toilet facilities were an ongoing issue. At times one thought oneself at the world championship in wild peeing.
But the sporty quality in the sawdust outshone even this annoyance. And the people of central Switzerland can finally claim again that they can not only organize a federal event, but also swing like royalty.
