Athlete profile: Paul Accola

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

Athlete notes

Without meaning any disrespect to Accola, the 30 year-old from Davos, Switzerland limps into the Nagano Olympics at the tail end of an excellent World Cup career -- a career which saw Accola win seven World Cup events and the 1992 overall title but garner only one Olympic medal and one World Championship medal in that time period...Accola won seven races during that magical 1992 season while eclipsing Alberto Tomba and Marc Girardelli...the only glitch that year came in -- of all places -- the Albertville Olympics, where Accola struck out in all five alpine disciplines..."[In '92] he was perfect," said a Swiss head coach after Accola's results cooled down. "The next year, you thought it would be the same. But it wasn't, and it showed you can not live on what you did [previously]. Now he has tranquility, not so much people and press. But he has questions and doubts"... Accola has been puzzled to explain why he cannot regain the form he showed in 1991-92...rather than his overall World Cup title; it was his poor Olympic performance which foretold of Accola's soon-to-come mediocrity... Accola came to Albertville as the surprise star of the pre-Olympic World Cup tour...he had spent months battling, and at times bettering, Tomba in the giant slalom...but Albertville was not an Events to remember for Accola...his woes began with a tumble in the downhill...after positioning himself for a medal with a strong fifth in the combined downhill (his supposed weak link), he finished 26th in the slalom after missing a gate and walking back up the hill to go through it...he was so angry with his performance that he flipped the finger at the course and buried his race bib in the snow after finishing...Accola caught heat both at home and from his teammates for the outburst...Accola then struggled to 10th in the Super G... a few days later, he was a heavy favorite in the giant slalom, only to place fourth and lose out to Tomba...he did not threaten in the slalom...Accola's 1992 results and his Eventsual World Cup collapse is symbolic of the downturn of the Swiss men's ski team in recent years...the year after his World Cup title, Accola became the first defending all-around champion not to win a race...two years later in Lillehammer, Accola and the Swiss men repeated their poor Olympic performance, with only Urs Kälin winning a silver in giant slalom...Accola did place sixth in the combined Events, but never really threatened since he started the slalom portion in 24th place...between 1992 and 1997, Accola did not record one podium...in defense of Accola, he has been bothered by a sore back and he has had surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus...through all this, there is a silver lining as Accola heads to Nagano...he recorded his first podium in five years last year on the same giant slalom course in Shiga Kogen where the Olympics will be held, and his fifth place in the giant slalom at the 1997 World Championships was a positive result from which Accola has gained confidence...he was within the top 15 in the overall World Cup standings as of the new year, thanks largely to some good early season giant slalom results...perhaps, the pressure is finally off of Accola...a native of the fashionable resort of Davos, Accola learned to ski at age three..."My father was a dairy farmer and a ski instructor," Accola recalls. "We lived right there where people learned to ski. I always would go with my dad when he would teach skiing"...Accola still lives on the family farm, but hopes to build his own home after he completes his ski career...he often spends his summers working on the farm from eight in the morning until sundown...Accola is content driving his tractor and working on the family farm..."My hobby is excavating," he says. "I have a tractor and two Caterpillars"...Accola speaks three languages -- German, French and some English..."I want to spend time in America, but I must improve my English first," says Paul. "When I go, I'll do it right"...Accola has two brothers and a younger sister, Martina, who is also on the Swiss team and says the pressure of being Paul's sister sometimes made things harder...