Skier Cyprien Sarrazin has a very particular ritual before his races, with Johnny Hallyday in it.
Cyprien Sarrazin is a French skier who exploded in the eyes of the general public this year, when he won the double downhill in Kitzbühel, Austria, on January 21 and 22. The last exploit of this type dates back to 1995 with a certain Luc Alphand, which shows the size of the descender’s feat.
To reach such a level, the Frenchman changed things in the way he competes, he who has been professional since 2016. He had this famous “click” thanks to a woman, her psychological support. “I never allowed myself to win, I always had imposter syndrome and then she told me that and three days later, boom, it clicked in my head.” Since then, everything has gone wonderfully well for the Gapençais who has had a string of victories and podiums, notably against the legend Marco Odermatt.
But to have such consistency, you also need to settle into a pre-race routine to feel comfortable and that is what Cyprien Sarrazin does. In an interview for Libération, the athlete spoke about his childhood, his current life and these famous rituals. One of them concerns music. If you often see athletes with a helmet before the start of the competition, it is to allow them to stay in their bubble. Rap or electro are now the main musical choices for athletes. But Cyprien Sarrazin chose a completely different style. For his part, it was Johnny Halliday and the song Diego, which gave him “crazy thrills”. Listening to this piece originally written by Michel Berger is now his ritual every day before a race, just to get in condition.
This may be what he plans to do just before the ski finals this weekend of March 22, 23 and 24. The Frenchman is in the race to win the downhill globe against Swiss legend Marco Odermatt. With 42 points behind, Cyprien Sarrazin must absolutely win the Saalbach downhill this Sunday and hope that Marco Odermatt does not place better than 4th. It would be a real achievement for the skier from Gap in the Alps.
At 29 years old, Cyprien Sarrazin has often been affected by injuries. This was the case in 2018 after a very big fall in training, causing him quite significant head trauma and forcing him to undergo a very long convalescence. A few months after his return, eleven to be exact, the Frenchman broke his knee. If he is particularly affected mentally, he also has physical after-effects with one tibia more inclined than the other.
But it was after this very bad period that the Frenchman decided to completely change course, abandoning the Super-G to move on to speed and downhill events. Tired of “self-destructing” as he explained in Libération, something clicked when he chose speed events. This choice also allowed him to have a second one, in his head. “I haven’t changed. I went back to who I was when I was little. Free, to do my things instinctively,” he confided.