Ski acrobat Noé Roth: "I'm glad I'm not an alpine skier

Noé Roth may be the overall World Cup winner. But he doesn't like being at the centre of attention.

Noé Roth, 19, looks relaxed when he opens the door to his parents' apartment in Baar with tousled hair. The 19-year-old actually always gives this impression, even a few days after his biggest success so far: In Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, he won the overall World Cup for ski acrobats on March 8, thanks to his first World Cup victory. It was the culmination of an intense month, with six competitions in five countries.

This interview was organised by your father because your cell phone has not been working for a few days. This is probably particularly annoying, given the many well-wishers.
Noé Roth: The subscription is blocked because I forgot to pay an invoice. But it’s not that bad. I can't call anyone back at the moment, and can't send an SMS, but with a WiFi connection I can still write to Whatsapp and other services.

Have you received many congratulations since you won the overall World Cup?
Yes, there have been some messages.

Were there any that amazed you?
Yes, that from Karl Frehsner, the former ski trainer. He wrote to me, even though I don't know him at all.

It was noticeable that the strong Chinese were rarely at the start in the World Cup season. Did you benefit from the Corona virus in your overall victory?
The Chinese were not allowed to enter the United States and Kazakhstan because of the virus, that's true. But I beat them in the competitions they were in.

So you were actually the best of the season?
Yes, but if the Russian Pavel Krotov had started in Kazakhstan, where he was not allowed to enter, he would probably have been the overall winner.

Did you celebrate your success?
A bit, with friends and with athletes from other nations. But frankly, I don't feel very comfortable about being celebrated. That’s why I can also say: I’m glad I’m not an alpine skier. The whole thing would be too much for me.

Have you ever signed an autograph?
Yes, but never in public, - only at events where people knew who I was.

But you would already enjoy greater financial appreciation.
Certainly.

How much does the overall World Cup win bring you?
The Swiss-Ski Association paid me a premium of CHF 3,000. Then there is the prize money in the World Cup. First place brings me CHF 12,000, from which taxes are deducted.

And what does a season cost you?
I don’t know exactly. We receive CHF 3,000 from the association, which covers almost all the travel expenses.

Noé Roth with the large crystal ball awarded to the winner of the overall World Cup. In the picture next to him, his mother Colette can be seen during her active career.

What will the overall World Cup win bring you in terms of sponsorship?
It is difficult to say, because our sport is and remains a marginal sport. Of course, I hope that success will help me find a sponsor. But it's also up to me to make use of it, and ask people for support.

Maybe contacts from your commercial apprenticeship will help you.
I broke off my apprenticeship last year.

Why?
Working on the computer all day was just not possible for me as a movement person. I really hated it.

Do you have a plan B for your training?
I have focused entirely on sport since then. I can do this as long as I live at home. And I will be in the Sportler-RS in Magglingen on April 14th.

The boss of your former apprenticeship company is Urs Lehmann, who also heads Swiss-Ski. How did he react to the dropout?
He was not enthusiastic about it, but accepted my decision, of course.

You will complete the Top Athlete Recruit school (Sportler-RS) with your team-mate and friend Pirmin Werner. And how important was he for your success in the past season?
We are both very important to each other, because we push ourselves all the time. We make a competition out of everything. For example, we dare each other to try a jump on the trampoline. If you lose, you’ll hear about it for quite a while - and none of us want that.

In an interview after your overall World Cup victory, you said that by your success surprised you. Why did it?
I wasn’t surprised that I won. Because I knew I had to win the competition to be first overall. I didn't expect it, however.

It could also be read that you were severely affected by the wind in your qualification for the last World Cup competition. What was going on there exactly?
A tail wind gust caught me on the way to the jump, which is why I was traveling faster than normal. I had to correct the higher speed in flight by raising my arms to reduce the rotation. But that wasn’t wild, because there are situations like this every now and then.

What speeds do you get to while skiing?
It’s usually about 68 kph, in Krasnoyarsk I was probably two kph faster - that makes a huge difference.

Would you call yourself a brave person?
Yes, I think so. My motto is "No risk no fun".

How does this motto play out, apart from ski acrobatics?
I like to try out new things, be it on the diving board or on the trampoline.

Your father says that you never get nervous. Why not?
I was a bit nervous at the World Cup final, I have to admit it, especially in qualifying. It’s also not true that I am never nervous - but rarely very nervous.

The Corona virus situation makes many people nervous. Within four weeks, you have travelledto the USA, Georgia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and again to Russia. Didn't you have any concerns?
No, I didn't worry about it. But I saw a lot of people wearing masks, and some planes were pretty empty. For example, on the flight home from Russia I had a row of seats for myself. So that was a very pleasant effect (smiles).

After winning the overall World Cup, do you have any new sporting goals that you will pursue?
My goals don't change. I always want to jump in the best possible way. Next year, I want to be as far ahead as possible at the World Cup in China and the 2022 Olympics.

Note:
The 19-year-old Noé Roth from Baar was the overall World Cup winner in ski acrobatics in the past season. He already attracted attention in 2019 at the World Championships by winning the bronze medal as an individual athlete, and the team gold medal. He took part in the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea (16th place) in February 2018, and shortly thereafter became Junior World Champion. Roth's mother Colette won the overall World Cup in the 1995/96 season and the Olympic bronze in 1998. She was trained by Michel Roth, her present husband. He has been the national coach since 1991, and also looks after his son Noé today.