Worlds profiles: Gisin's winning formula

Swiss racer Dominique Gisin surprised everyone last month when she tied Anja Paerson for her first ever World Cup downhill win in Zauchensee, Austria. Then jaws really dropped when she backed it up with another win six days later on the downhill course in Cortina. The 23-year-old who loves alternative rock music doesn’t mind the tricky speed course at the world championships in Val d’Isere and even calls it “fun” and “something totally different.” After downhill training this week, she talked a little bit about her recent wins and her favorite post-race meal.Swiss racer Dominique Gisin surprised everyone last month when she tied Anja Paerson for her first ever World Cup downhill win in Zauchensee, Austria. Then jaws really dropped when she backed it up with another win six days later on the downhill course in Cortina. The 23-year-old who loves alternative rock music doesn’t mind the tricky speed course at the world championships in Val d’Isere and even calls it “fun” and “something totally different.” After downhill training this week, she talked a little bit about her recent wins and her favorite post-race meal.

There were some pictures of you jogging in Cortina between your two downhill victories. Is going for a little jog the secret to winning back-to-back World Cup races?

I’m just getting there again. I wasn’t able to jog for a long time because of my knees. I like it, but I have to start slowly … not to much and not too long. I do a lot of bicycling on a trainer and a lot of belly and back training in the winter. I trained really hard in the summer – two and a half months of no skiing, only physics. But it was definitely worth it. I feel so good now. I think the big thing is that last summer was the first summer I was able to train without pain and with no injuries. In Zauchensee and Cortina, I had a lot of luck. It just went perfectly. I’m super happy. It just fits together now and I feel so good. I feel very strong and I have no pain.

What did you do to celebrate your victories?

Actually we couldn’t do too much. We had so many other things to do, so I had to just hold my energy together because we still had a lot of races. But it was very sweet, my village – Engelberg – made a huge party. I think half the village came. There were more than a thousand people. With all the little kids and everything, it was so sweet. I had so much fun.

Do you have a mantra that helps you mentally prepare for races when you’re in the start gate?

I have several. One, for example, is “Go out. Have fun and do your best.” They’re good to get into the mood to race.

What do you like to do after a race?

I actually just like to calm down and listen to some good music. I love Bon Iver at the moment. It’s the best chill down music. I also like to have something good to eat. The best thing is when I come home and my mom always cooks my favorite meal: Aelpler magronen. It’s a traditional Swiss cheese pasta with apple compote. It’s the best. My mom makes the best.