Samuel Giger has always presented an unusual image at his numerous award ceremonies. At least from the perspective of the tradition-conscious people of Eastern Switzerland. Giger grew up in Thurgau, his father is from Appenzell, and yet the flagship of the NOS wrestlers wears the traditional costume of the Bernese dairymen without exception at the rankings – the Oberländer Kürmutz.
This is Giger’s homage to his mother Hanni’s family, whose roots lie in the Brünig region. Samuel’s grandfather Christian Schild was a farmer on the Katzenschwanz farm in Meiringen Unterbach. Schild was also a talented wrestler. But because his mountain farm demanded a lot of time from him, training in the sawdust was often neglected. He could only win a handful of wreaths.
In 1982, Schild emigrated to Thurgau with his family. But the children kept their language. Samuel’s mother and uncle Simon, who won the federal crown in 1998, still talk in the traditional Oberhasler dialect 40 years after their arrival in Ottoberg. And now the most successful wrestler of the present, with four victories this season, seems to be making sure that the next generation will talk about “Haslitiitsch”.
Associated with an evil Oberland dynasty
Samuel Giger’s Thurgau dialect may sound flawless, but his queen of hearts, Michelle von Weissenfluh, is a genuine Meiringer. The blonde comes from a dynasty that shaped the history of Brünig-Schwinget in a very special way. Also because Michelle’s grandfather Peter crossed a prohibition line in the early 1960s.
“I was 16 when Beat Thöni from Hasliberg suffered a spinal cord injury in the final Brünig match against Karl Meli,” says Peter von Weissenfluh, who is now 79 years old. «Because Beat was a good friend of the family, my parents expressly forbade me to do swing training afterwards. But then I spent a year in Welschland, where I began to indulge in wrestling despite the urgent words of my parents. »
Because Peter von Weissenfluh met the wrestling king Willy Lardon in Murten’s wrestling cellar, he learned his special hip technique. With this royal weapon, the stocky late starter launched an impressive career. By the time he resigned in autumn 1980, von Weissenfluh had won eight crown festivals and three federal crowns. At his home festival on the Brünig he won oak leaves nine times.
Duel with his girlfriend’s brother?
Even more impressive is the Brünig record of his son Christian (57), who triumphed ex aequo with Niklaus Gasser in 1993 and was able to win the most prestigious mountain crown ten times. And although von Weissenfluh’s eldest son Peter (58) was physically clearly inferior in the realm of evil (1.70 meters, 78 kilos), he also won the crown in the 1992 mountain classic.
Peter von Weissenfluh is the father of Giger’s darling Michelle and of Kilian (26), who swung to the top this year at the Seeland and Oberaargau. The trained carpenter, who has belonged to the elite circle of the Confederates since the last ESAF in Zug, is aiming for his third Brünig wreath on Sunday.
And there is a good chance that Kilian von Weissenfluh will duel with his “hobby brother-in-law” Giger during the 117th showdown at the top of the pass. This pairing last happened in 2021 on the Schwägalp. Result: “Sämi” defeated “Kili”, who has only lost one gear this year, in the first minute.
Incidentally, Giger had only contested one competition on the Brünig up to that point. In 2017 he defeated Christian Stucki in a spectacular manner, but then had to settle for three places (against Thomas Sempach, Bernhard Kämpf and Simon Anderegg) and fifth place in the final.
During the subsequent wreath award ceremony, the 1.94 meter giant met Michelle von Weissenfluh, honored lady from Brünig, for the first time. It really sparked between the two the following summer on the occasion of the Schwägalp-Schwinget.
Test your knowledge and win tickets for the ESAF!
The wrestling season is entering the hot phase – and with the ESAF 2022 in Pratteln BL (26th to 28th August) THE highlight of the last few years is just around the corner.
As if this doesn’t already promise enough excitement, we’ll add one more. With the “Blick-Schwingen-Trophy” you can answer questions every day and win great prizes every week.
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The wrestling season is entering the hot phase – and with the ESAF 2022 in Pratteln BL (26th to 28th August) THE highlight of the last few years is just around the corner.
As if this doesn’t already promise enough excitement, we’ll add one more. With the “Blick-Schwingen-Trophy” you can answer questions every day and win great prizes every week.
To be able to participate you have to register here. Have fun and good luck!