Nino Shurter, Tokyo Calling

From a recent chat with Nino Shurter - the fastest and most quietly flamboyant mountainbike cross-country racer of the past decade, and maybe even the greatest of all time, and the current Olympic Champion

ST; The 2020 World Championships didn't go too well for you. There seems to be a change of order at the top for the moment. What are your thoughts and feelings?

NS; It’s a fact that the younger generation is pushing. Especially the French, they have some great talent moving up to the top. These days it takes a day when everything goes well for me to be able to compete for an international championship. 

At worlds this was not the case from the start. Luckily the week after, at European Championships - with the same strong competition the good vibes were back for me. Winning the European Championship was important, it was proof to myself that my preparation for this “mini season” with the World Cups, World and European Champs was right, it just didn't pay off in all races.

ST; The Olympics clearly men a lot to you  - in Rio how did you feel when Peter Sagan turned out? Was that race your most personally satisfying ride?

NS; Working for many years towards the goal winning the gold at Olympics sure made it extremely satisfying when I finally reached my dream. 

I was not too nervous about Sagan; it was more about - can I show 110% of what I have? I knew I was best prepared and in excellent shape. In such moments I focus on myself and not on who else is there or what they do.