Emma Aicher has been considered Germany’s greatest talent for years. But the 21-year-old has rarely demonstrated her skills.
It’s not Emma Aicher’s season yet. A ninth place in the early slalom in Levi is the best result for the 21-year-old so far. In contrast, there are four races that she was unable to finish. In the overall ranking, Aicher, who competes in all technical and speed disciplines as an all-rounder, is only in 35th place (59 points).
So much for the sober facts, which from the SC Mahlstetten athlete’s point of view don’t really read as positive. But if you look at Aicher’s rides, you can see why so many highlight her talent. We always hear that she has what it takes to compete for the overall World Cup one day.
Four mistakes at Aicher
Aicher often risks too much – like in the slalom in Gurgl. On the Kirchenkarpiste she was eliminated in the first round with a top time (at one point only two tenths of a second behind). Her other eliminations were also in technical disciplines (twice each in the slalom and giant slalom, including the current one in Semmering). She always finished in downhill and super-G. 16th place at the Super-G in St. Moritz was her best result.
The current season is almost a mirror image of last winter. Aicher also came into this with a lot of praise, but was unable to meet his expectations. Three top ten placements in the slalom in Are (7th), in the Super-G in Val d’Isere (10th) and in the downhill in St. Moritz (6th) were her best results. For the first time, Aicher’s still young career seems to be stalling.
World Cup bronze winner in Cortina d’Ampezzo
The daughter of a Swedish mother and a German father won the gold medal in slalom at the FIS Children Cup in March 2019 as a 15-year-old. At that time she still started for Sweden. For the 2020/21 season she moved to the German Ski Association (DSV) and initially competed in the European Cup.
After her third place in the slalom, she was quickly nominated for the senior national team at the World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo and won the bronze medal in the team competition. Just a year later, she also won silver in the team competition at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Others also got off to a late start
She hasn’t been able to build on these early successes, but she still has a lot of time – and role models who could encourage her. The best German technician, Lena Dürr, won her first World Cup victory five years after her debut in 2008.
Another ten years passed before the next success, during which Dürr no longer even trained with the DSV, but rather with the Global Racing Team.
In this respect, it is far too early to take a stand against Emma Aicher. But the 21-year-old also notices that she is currently falling short of expectations. There is no doubt that she has the potential for better performance and this season the World Championships in Saalbach/Hinterglemm are a big highlight.
It wouldn’t be a bad time to break the knot.