Sara Hector: "Some things cannot be instructed"

How does she want a competition day? Who is responsible for what? And what support does she need in the seconds before the start?

When the Alpine World Cup season kicks off in the Austrian Sölden on Saturday, Sara Hector has had to sit down and talk through things that have been taken for granted in recent years.

The now 34-year-old giant slalom star took Olympic gold in Beijing 2022 and shared silver in the same discipline in Cortina last winter. She has taken eight World Cup victories. Seven of these, and both Olympic medals, with the same name next to them.

The Austrian Reinhard "Reini" Berbig was the Swedish alpine veteran's so-called serviceman for six years. Now he has quit - and been replaced by the Italian Matteo Fattor.

A serviceman is responsible for the skier's skis and for giving the active the best possible conditions regardless of the surface.

The new duo has been welded together during the pre-season, including during a long camp in Argentina, says Hector:

- It has worked very well so far, he is very talented and it is easy for him and my coach (Walter Girardi) to talk to each other because both are Italian.

At the same time, a new person in the group always means changes:

- The roles are changing a bit, says Hector.

- Then it's about feeling secure that what you have under your feet is good in all situations. Are you a bit of a control person - and I can be that sometimes! - you would ideally like to have been able to test all surfaces, but I won't have done that before all the competitions.

What is important on race day, both practically and mentally, is another thing that needs to be addressed. After almost 17 years in the World Cup circus, Sara Hector knows how she wants it.

- We sat down and talked it through. And when we trained here in Sölden (last weekend) we got a bit of a run-through, how I usually feel about skiing and warming up, who does what and so on.

- Since the last moment before the race ... there, "Reini" has been a lot of security for me. Now it will be someone else who will be that security.

What will happen there, what instructions have you given?

- Some things are just emotional, it can't be instructed! laughs Hector.

- Then you really have to have a chemistry with each other, but the important thing is to feel secure in the relationship, then you dare to be yourself and that does quite a lot.

In a situation where Swedish alpine skiing is having a tough time financially, her summer and autumn have been different in other ways as well.

Sara Hector decided early on to take the situation into her own hands. With support from financier Christer Gardell and other sponsors, she has paid for large parts of her pre-season training herself.

She has not closed the door on another Olympics, and needs to give herself the best possible conditions going forward, Hector has previously told DN. It includes the fact that she invested in her own physiotherapist, who has been with her during the pre-season and will also be at the competition.

- The body feels good now. This summer I had some sensations in one knee, but I am pleasantly surprised at how well the body has responded.

The physiotherapist is also Italian.

- So I have an Italian team this year, I got to practice Italian, says Hector and laughs again.

- I've actually learned quite a bit!