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In January 2020, Daniel Yule achieved a special goal in Adelboden.
Daniel, as the son of a Scottish mother, have you ever eaten haggis?
Daniel Yule: Yes, of course! Why not?
The thought of a portion of “Haggis” is likely to make many Swiss people nauseous when they learn that Scotland’s national dish is a stuffed sheep’s stomach.
In Switzerland, cervelats stuffed with intestines are also eaten. And like haggis, most people don’t know exactly what ingredients make up the cervelat filling. Me neither. But I can say that a properly seasoned haggis tastes really good.
Last summer you were invited to the wedding of Kitzbühel winner Dave Ryding in England. What was there to eat?
I can’t remember the detailed menu plan. But it was all very good.
Besides your Swiss teammates, is Ryding your best friend on the World Cup Tour?
Dave is definitely one of my best friends. I can laugh about anything with him. And I admire him for the extraordinary path he has taken back to the top of the world. For years he only skied on plastic mats, and it wasn’t until he was twelve that he competed in his first race on snow. In addition, the fact is that I grew up with English and French and therefore in the ski circus I talk more often to French and English people than to Austrians or Germans.
“Before a race, I’m not the nicest driver in the starting area either.”Daniel Yule on the tension before competitions
How well do you get along with Norway’s superstar Henrik Kristoffersen, who some World Cup insiders describe as a “disgusting package”?
During my time as FIS athlete spokesman, I had very good discussions with Henrik. But I’ve also observed him in situations where I thought he might behave differently.
Give an example.
I’m thinking of last winter, when Henrik smashed a rubbish bin in the finish area after missing the top place in the slalom in Flachau and then also kicked a cameraman. I can understand that one gets frustrated after a mediocre result. Nevertheless, in my opinion, one should maintain the role model function in such a situation. I’m also not the nicest racer on the starting grid before a race when I’m tense and totally focused. But once the finish line is crossed, I try to be a decent human being. When I think back to my youth, it also hurts me that someone breaks a ski pole in anger.
Why?
In my first year as a JO racer, my parents and I believed that one pair of skis had to be enough for a season. But then my trainer called to make it clear to mom and dad that I absolutely needed a second pair because I couldn’t go on a giant slalom ski. My parents then rented me a second pair for the winter. I had also always worn the oldest racing clothes. Now in the World Cup I have material in abundance. That’s why I’d like to pass this on to young racers who are just as short on equipment as I was when I was young. Unfortunately, my ski clothing is too big for most JO kids. But I definitely prefer to give my ski poles away than smash them in anger.
“I’m definitely more productive with an audience”Daniel Yule on the Corona period
Speaking of anger and frustration: your trainer Matteo Joris claims that you have lost the joy of skiing in the last two Corona winters. Have you suffered more than other athletes during this time?
I’m a guy who works best when he’s having fun with people around him. It does me a lot of good when I can sit comfortably at a table with my teammates and make a few stupid jokes. At the same time, I exercise my sport very conscientiously. In order to minimize the risk of infection, I avoided contact with my dearest fellow human beings during the Covid period. Only people who pushed a stick up my nose during the corona tests were close to me in this phase. I was also all alone when I came home after a crappy race. That’s why I’ve actually lost the fun of racing for a while.
Since the corona restrictions were lifted, you’ve been running really hot again. Shortly before Christmas, you celebrated your first World Cup victory in two years in Madonna. And now you will be driven by even more fans at the home game in Adelboden.
I’m really happy. For me, sport is synonymous with emotions. It is completely different when you enter the finish slope in front of a full grandstand than in front of empty seats. One of the worst for me was the slalom in Schladming, one of my favorite races under normal circumstances. But when I competed in this night race without an audience, I seriously asked myself: What am I even doing here? Sure, it was still better than not racing at all. And as a professional, I should be able to master blue and red goal combinations regardless of the setting. But I’m definitely more efficient with an audience.
On average, the number of spectators at downhills is significantly better than at slaloms. Does that hurt you as a slalom specialist?
no Somehow I can understand why the downhill is called the supreme discipline. Although I’m a professional ski racer, I’m grateful if I don’t have to be at the start of such a brutal high-speed descent like the one in Bormio recently, but can watch it from the comfortable TV sofa. But I believe that the slalom is still underestimated by many. Slalom really is a huge spectacle. Just like last year in Val d’Isère or in Madonna, a race can be turned upside down at the very last goal. In hardly any other discipline does a mistake happen so quickly, which makes the whole thing particularly exciting.
«When I came to the World Cup, I was a shy boy»Daniel Yule
With your Valais buddy Justin Murisier, you started a show slalom in France dressed as women. How did that happen?
Justin encouraged me to do this after seeing a funny clip of a drag queen on the internet. And I haven’t laughed like I did during our shopping tour in Lausanne in a long time. When I discovered the visually perfect women’s dress, I asked Justin when trying it on to zip up the roughly thirty centimeter long zipper on my back. Justin then made it clear to me that he could only close three centimeters at most.
Expert on difficult phase: “You had to worry about Yule seriously”(01:08)
And how did you do as a “drag queen” on the slopes?
Julien Lizeroux’s (43, Slalom Vice World Champion 2009, editor’s note) organized super slalom was about four and a half minutes long. Justin was faster than me. During the lunch that followed, I felt really bad. Because we hadn’t had much beer at this point, I knew I wasn’t feeling bad about the alcohol. I then opened the bra with the weighty breast implants. After that I could finally breathe freely again, the relief was huge. Through this experience, my respect for the everyday life of a woman has grown enormously.
Also because of this appearance, the rumor circulated through Valais that Daniel Yule and Justin Murisier were living in a homosexual partnership. Did you hear that?
No one has asked me personally. But I’ve heard a number of times that people have asked third parties if Justin and I are lovers. We’re definitely not lovers, but really good friends. If I could, I would give him one of my five World Cup wins. I owe a tremendous debt to Justin.
In what way?
When I got into the World Cup I was a shy boy. Justin was like a big brother to me who gave me a lot of valuable input. And with his daring manner, he also showed me how to get the best out of negotiations with outfitters or sponsors.
Attention ski fans! Now quiz and type races
The 2022/2023 ski season is coming up and with it the “Blick Ski Trophy”: answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!
The 2022/2023 ski season is coming up and with it the “Blick Ski Trophy”: answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!