Men’s head coach Marko Pfeifer opened the door Matthias Mayer the door for a possible comeback. “If Matthias says he is ready – even if he denies making a comeback – we are certainly the last ones to be against it,” said Pfeifer at the Alpine World Cup races in Wengen. The triple Olympic champion tried to be a forerunner in the women’s European Cup competitions in Zauchensee this week. Mayer also wants this role at the World Cup in Saalbach take.
A professional on the slopes
The 34-year-old prepared for this professionally. In Val Gardena he tested the material for his former ski company, and Mayer also got into physical shape. According to Pfeifer, the two years since retiring from racing have “left their mark”, but making up for the deficits would not be a problem in principle. “You have to work your way back up. But if Matthias does that, trains a lot and takes part in preparation, I see him being competitive,” said the coach.
Mayer unexpectedly announced his resignation in Bormio in 2022. In January of the previous year he was absent from a public event as part of the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel, and the ÖSV then made health problems public. Mayer has denied any comeback intentions. Pfeifer still sees a person who cares deeply about skiing. “It is an important thing that, after he had health problems, communicated it well publicly and has it under control, he continues to be in the ski business.” Saalbach could be like a test run for Mayer: “I’m sure that he can better draw conclusions for himself about the extent to which it could be an issue to make a comeback.”