Ferstl and Dressen say Goodbye in Garmisch

One last storm of cheers from the spectator stands, one last ride, one last photo in the finish area in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Thomas Dreßen, the most successful downhill skier in the almost 120-year history of the DSV, and Josef “Pepi” Ferstl, 175 World Cup starts, two-time Olympian and two-time World Cup winner, said goodbye to active racing at their home race on the last weekend in January.

Likeable, authentic, down-to-earth, successful - these are the attributes the two now “former” downhill skiers heard often last weekend. And in fact there was a lot of sadness in these farewells: athletes of this caliber are rare in ski racing, and that applies equally to Dreßl and Ferstl.

Risky sport

“But if your head is no longer willing to take full risks, it is time to draw a line in the sand,” said Pepi in a self-reflective and understandable way. Dreßen’s knee, on the other hand, “no longer allows competitive sports at the highest level. I can no longer live up to my claim of showing world-class performances, so I have decided to end my career as an active ski racer” - Downhill skiers don't take detours, they follow the fastest and most direct line. They formulate their statements accordingly and make consistent decisions.

Suddenly famous

There is a fine line between being maximally present in public and wanting to protect your own privacy at the same time. Dreßen and Ferstl have also shown how this can be done successfully.

For Thomas Dreßen in particular, jumping into the water was ice cold. For him, his international popularity went from zero to one hundred. On January 20, 2018, his downhill victory on the Streif catapulted him into the center of sports reporting. With all the consequences. Overnight, people in Germany were able to relate to the name Thomas Dreßen and have since then associated his triumph in Kitzbühel with it. This brings Tom close to comparable stories like those written by Boris Becker in Wimbledon or Michael Schuhmacher in Spa.

Successes, injuries, comebacks

Tom followed that up with a win in Kvitfjell just a few weeks later. He continued to deliver - a total of five victories - and made it clear: Kitzbühel was a promise of German downhill sport for the future. And Thomas is one of the most self-determined protagonists I have met in recent years.

What followed: a bad fall in Beaver Creek, rehabilitation of his knee, shoulder and hip and a fantastic comeback with win number three in Lake Louise. On the Kandahar in Garmisch-Partenkirchen he achieved his most confident victory, with starting number one.

I was more nervous than he was: “Relax, Ralph, it's good!” Tom remarked briefly and dryly after Beat Feuz's ride. He secured victory number five in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, despite a driving error at the start of the race.

End and: All the best!

However, new physical setbacks left their mark. Despite iron discipline, irrepressible will and sophisticated training and racing to keep the physical strain within limits, Tom was no longer making any progress. A few weeks ago in Wengen it became clear to him: It's simply no longer possible - this will have been immediately clear to attentive viewers of the BR interview. The end was in sight.

That was also immediately clear to Pepi when he began his phone call with the question: “Are you sitting well?” The rest was a formality: Pepi, Tom, I wish you all the best for the new phase of your life and I look forward to seeing each other again!

Credit Ralph Eder, Press Officer for German Ski Team. This article first appeared on his LinkedIn profile

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