The sacrifices of Quim Salarich, probably the best Catalan alpine skier in history

BarcelonaWhen the first skis are put on you at the age of two, it is a sign that your family is carrying the mountain in their blood. Quim Salarich (Vic, 1994) returns to the Games ready to get rid of the thorn of his debut at an Olympic event four years ago in South Korea, when he qualified with so little time to prepare that he did not he arrived focused. And he got off the track in the slalom event. Now, the best Spanish skier since Paquito Fernández Ochoa, the Osona native is more ambitious than ever. Spurred on by the silver medal of Queralt Castellet in snowboard, says: “I did not come to have fun, I come to compete once morest the best.” Salarich debuts Tuesday to Wednesday at 3.15am (Eurosport) aspiring to the final, which will be at 6.30am on the same day.

To get to the north of China, Salarich has struggled a lot, following a path that started at home, of course. His parents took their children to La Molina when they were not raising a handful of earth. His father, Claudi, had been a member of the ski resort in the 1980s. Xavier, his older brother, also skied, but Quim, who first competed when he was six, . The memory of his father, who died prematurely, is well remembered by an athlete who stands out for his physical strength and ability to sacrifice, and who combines training with a career in business administration and management at the UOC. Captured by the radar of the Catalan Winter Sports Federation, Salarich won a lot of medals in Catalonia until he had to make the decision that almost all Catalan athletes engaged in winter sports must take in some moment: to leave home, far away. Queralt Castellet left for New Zealand at the age of 15; skater Adrià Díaz, in Canada; skier Núria Pau has spent many seasons competing with an Italian team, and Salarich chose Switzerland, where she became part of a professional team, the Steffen-S1, which gave her everything she might not find in the Pyrenees. They lived in the Alps for three years.

A leap in quality

The presentation in society at the international level reached the Vail / Beaver Creek World Championships (USA) in 2015, when he finished in the top 30 in the slalom event. In 2017, he repeated at the World Championships in Saint Moritz, finishing 25th. And in the slalom of Val d’Isère (France) last December he set the best sixth time of the second descent, and was among the top 15. A result that no Spanish skier has achieved for more than 40 years. A few days later he repeated it in Madonna di Campiglio (Italy). Salarich has been running for the best Catalan alpine skier of all time for some time.

Salarich knows he is living the sweetest moment of his career. Years of learning in Switzerland have made it stronger. And he already knows how an Olympic date works, following the disappointment of 2018. So he looks up, thinking that depending on the day his rivals have, he can get his head in the top 15. “The track itself seems easy enough in the sense that it suits me well, I’m really looking forward to enjoying it. The first few days I was a little tired because of the jet lag; but following those first days of training came the day of rest; and now I feel good. Very motivated, eager to give it my all, “he explains.” I visualize myself giving the best I have and giving everything I have; i will give the best i have inside. I think we’ve done things right and we’ll try to get the most out of it. We all know that in the end it’s just a test; that you play it all in one test; and that many things can happen; but the intention is to give one hundred percent. And I see myself being able to get something good out of this experience, ”he said at a virtual press conference.

Four years ago, Salarich learned that he would be attending the Pyeongchang Games (South Korea) thanks to a rearrangement of international seats a few days before the start of the event. May Peus, president of the Spanish Federation, woke him up with the news and in a few hours he left for Madrid to finish everything. By then, his best position had been 69th, in any international event. Now he knows what it’s like to fight not far from the favorites. “I arrived four days before the debut, tired, over-excited, and when I tried to enjoy it I went out of my way. I learned from that experience,” he explains. Four years later, he is living the best season of his career, with results that only Luis Fernández Ochoa had achieved in the 80s, and his brother Paquito in the 70s, when he won the historic first Spanish medal in the Games, the 1972 in Sapporo.

The results in a test, the slalom, where there are a variety of winners this season make it difficult to talk regarding favorites. A very open stage where the Osona skier wants to take advantage to outdo himself. And that a small drop in level caused the Spanish Federation to initially leave him in team B, this season. It didn’t take long for him to return to A, thanks to the work he did with the Italian coach Corrado Momo, with whom he has been working for years. “I’m very competitive, but it’s been hard to get here. In recent years I’ve found a way to prepare better,” said one athlete, who admits it was key to hire a nutritionist, as he tended to gain weight easily. . He has also worked with sports psychologists and has become obsessed with having his team ready. In China, he has traveled with seven pairs of skis. Some have already broken them. There are six left to choose from in the descent of his life, the one that justifies everything that has been lived before. “In sports, the road is never easy, but without making a fuss, I’ve worked hard. I’ve never died.” The Malla skier, where he lives, has learned to go down the mountains. Unlike the pages of her neighbor Irene Solà, the mountain does not dance here. He dances as he passes the doors of each slalom.