Athlete profile: Thomas Sykora

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Sykora is the perfect foil for Austria's other slalom specialist, 1994 gold-medalist Thomas Stangassinger...unlike the quiet, focused family-man Stangassinger, the "other Thomas" is wilder and more outgoing...it is not uncommon to see Sykora shaking hands with fans or patting adoring children on the head in the finish area...his large presence and free-spirited goat-tee add to his fun-loving demeanor...and along with his personality comes a slalom skier capable of almost anything..."I think he is the fastest slalom skier on the World Cup," says Austrian slalom coach Fritz Vallant. "Now, remember that being fast doesn't always translate into winning. Thomas has to learn to control his speed. He generates so much speed, and he's so big, he eats up the course"...his 6'3" frame and aggressive skiing style make Sykora a powerful, rather than finesse, slalom skier...and while Sykora's talent and ability are unquestioned, his results in the big events remain in doubt...though he has been among the best slalom skiers in the world the last two seasons -- winning the overall slalom title last year -- he has performed poorly in both World Championships...while some think it is just plain bad luck, others say that Sykora does not have the proper approach..."Sykora always puts aside the big events in his mind," says one Austrian ski expert. "He does not think about it during the season, and says ‘the bigger events will come whenever'"...maybe Sykora should take some advice from his stoic compatriot, Stangassinger, who approaches every race with utter focus and intensity...last year, Sykora was on a blistering pace, winning five of six World Cup slalom events and placing second in the other... in the days leading up to the sEventsh Events in Kitzbühel, Sykora was so popular that he had promotions, public appearances and interviews to do...by the time race-day happened, Sykora was exhausted and slightly injured...he finished sEventsh and did not podium in the last two races of the '97 season...following the season-ending fiasco including a disappointing ninth at the Worlds in Sestriere, Italy, Sykora said he would never do all those promotions again..."The Olympic slalom is my biggest Events this year," Sykora stated uncharacteristically at the beginning of the season...he looks to better his countrymen Stangassinger and other favorites, Alberto Tomba and Norwegians Finn Christian Jagge and Kjetil Andre Aamodt in Shiga Kogen..."I wiped out there last year," says Sykora. "It's flat on top, steeper on the bottom. It is a course for ‘full attack'"...Sykora served noticed at a slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, by storming back from ninth place after the first run to win (although he was helped by Tomba's decision not to race the second run because of the race jury's decision to reverse the top-30 skiers for the second run, instead of the usual top-15"..."Conditions were just as bad for all of the top 15 skiers," Sykora said afterwards. "If we would have relied on weather conditions this season, then we wouldn't have had a single race. It was a crazy win. I am proud of myself because I had to fight really hard from top to bottom and the conditions certainly were not easy" ...besides his gregarious nature, Sykora is well-known for several other things among his Austrian teammates...Sykora has his own slalom piste in his backyard, complete with surface lift, snowmaking machines and a small grooming vehicle...when precipitation is meager, Sykora calls in the local fire department to provide him with some water for snow...Sykora is also one of the few Austrian skiers who flies to most all World Cup events...since he lives not far from Vienna, he is nearer an airport than most of his teammates...finally, Sykora is currently dating fellow skier, Claudia Riegler, a native Austrian who now skis for New Zealand..."Yeah, I get a little bit nervous when she is skiing," says Sykora...in contrast, Riegler is a mess..."I get so nervous," she says. "My stomach is churning. I can barely watch. I'd rather be skiing myself"...Sykora's memory of his favorite skier is tinged with sadness...as a youngster he idolized the late Rudi Nierlich, the 1991 world champion in slalom..."I would watch Rudi in training all the time," says Sykora of Nierlich, who died in a car accident six years ago. "It was my birthday (May 18th), when he crashed his car and died. No, it was not a happy birthday"...in his spare time, Sykora enjoys soccer, tennis and music...Sykora does not speak much English...