“ `html
At the German Ski Association, great hopes for Emma Aicher. The 21-year-old captivates with her versatility and is therefore compared with Maria Höfl-Riesch. At Sport1, she is happy about this comparison and talks about her goals for the future.
Emma Aicher is the largest German ski hope and with her 21 years one of the biggest candidates for a German Olympic medal at the games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in the coming year.
In the past World Cup winter, the native of Swede was the positive surprise in the German team and was able to reward herself with two victories at the end of the season: in Kvitfjell she won in the departure and in La Thuile in Super-G.
“I don’t know if I really realized it. Of course I know what I did and I am also very proud of it,” said Aicher in an interview with Sport1 .
Aicher has two victories for DSV
However, she does not want to evaluate whether she had already arrived in the absolute top of the world due to her two victories and the additional other podium,: “I didn’t see that directly. I am pleased that my skiing can be at level. My goal is definitely to keep going.”
At least in the absolute top of the DSV team, Aicher has definitely already arrived due to its success. She was the only athlete last winter to win a race at all. She also got half of the team’s podium places. Lena Dürr also drove three times on the podium.
Emma Aicher is the largest German ski hope
Change from Sweden to Germany? “It was already challenging”
Due to her good results, the 21-year-old has now finally arrived in the DSV team. Because the daughter of a Swedish mother and a German father in Sweden was born. She also took the first steps in ski sports for her country of birth.
In 2020, after she had already completed World Cup races for Sweden, to the DSV. At the time, she justified her “change of flags” by the fact that “was not really space in the Swedish ski team” and there were also better training opportunities in the Alps.
The time after the change was anything but easy for her, she now told Sport1 : “It was already challenging, also because of the language. Of course, I was able to German before, but something else if you live in the country and always speak German.”
Fortunately, it was well received by both the coaches and the German team. The biggest challenge would therefore have been outside the route. “Only school was really difficult,” said Aicher with a laugh.
Ski Alpin: Aicher impresses with a rare versatility
But she also mastered this challenge with the end of the middle maturity and was able to focus on her ski career at the latest.
And then the 21-year-old distinguishes a particularly talent, because she can keep up in the top of the world in all four disciplines. A quality that has become less common in the ski circus in recent years.
Last winter she ended up in both the departure (9th), in the Super-G (15th) and in the slalom (17th) below the top 20 in the Discipline World Cup. She completed the overall World Cup as 15th. Precisely because of her versatility, many trust her to win in the overall World Cup in the future.
“It is definitely a goal, precisely because I also drive all four disciplines,” says Aicher, even with a view to a future attack in the overall World Cup.
Höfl-Riesch full of praise for Aicher
Because of its versatility, Aicher is often compared to Maria Höfl -Riesch – also by the last German overall World Cup winner (2011).
“In many things she reminds me of myself. I may have been with the first victories for a few more years or two earlier, but in principle the career is similar. This youthful carefree and looseness!” Praised Höfl-Riesch in an interview with the evening newspaper .
Aicher would have been viewed throughout the season that she had the potential to ride the victory in various disciplines. “If she stays healthy, she certainly still has big plans”, Höfl-Riesch is certain: “She is already making her way.”
And Aicher himself? Of course, she feels flattered by the praise of the former world-class athlete, as she reveals Sport1 : “If someone, as Maria says, of course, I take it as a big compliment.”
The German ski fans now naturally hope that Aicher can even close to the great achievements of Höfl-Riesch, who won four medals (three times gold, one silver) at Olympics. After all, the silver medal already has Aicher. At the games in Beijing, she won 2nd place in the team competition in 2022.
“ `