“I really like the track in Cortina” - Interview with World Champion Max Langenhan
Cortina d'Ampezzo (FIL/25 Nov 2025) World champion Max Langenhan raves about the atmosphere in Cortina d'Ampezzo after his first runs on the new Pista Olimpica Eugenio Monti. As a two-time overall World Cup winner, the German is naturally one of the favorites. But the reigning world champion also promises plenty of excitement in the Olympic competitions.
Hello Mr. Langenhan, you raced in the ice track in Cortina d'Ampezzo at the end of March during the pro homologation and again in October during the International Training Week.
How do you like the new track?
Max Langenhan: “It's too early to say definitively whether the track suits me. In any case, I really like it. Everyone will love the whole setting with the mountains around it. Cortina has so much history, not only with skiing, but also with bobsleigh and luge. It's great to have a new track now.”
Is the track challenging?
Max Langenhan: "What we've seen so far promises a lot of excitement because it's going to be very tight. Every mistake will be punished."
Is the track similar in character to an existing one?
Max Langenhan: "Every track has its own character. Of course, you'll find one or two passages that resemble a section on another track. I think it's really cool that they've kept some of the old curves. That gives the track its own character. And it has its own flair when the curves aren't numbered, but have their own names.”
What are the key sections called?
Max Langenhan: “The key sections are the big curves at the bottom, the Curva Antelao and the Curva Cristallo. The "Labiriti Uno, due and tre" will also be decisive. If you don't get through there well, you can't achieve a good time.”
Which competitors do you expect to be strong?
Max Langenhan: “No new candidates have joined the fray. So it's the usual suspects. At the top of my list is my teamate Felix Loch, but the Austrians Jonas Müller and Nico Gleirscher are also contenders. The Italians Dominik Fischnaller and Kristers Aparjode from Latvia are also among those competing for the title or medals.”
You won the overall World Cup in each of the past two winters, so you're the one to beat. How do you feel about that role?
Max Langenhan: "It's not really a burden for me. What bothered me more was that I didn't perform so well in the competitions last season and often made mistakes in the races. That's something that didn't happen to me so often in previous years. But it must also be said that the competition has improved this season. At the start, in the way they race, and probably also a little bit in terms of equipment. So you simply can't afford to make any mistakes.“
The Austrians in particular are suddenly strong across the board.
Max Langenhan: ”Yes, they've closed the gap on us at the start, and some of them are even better than us. Jonas Müller has incredibly good start times. Lately, they've been sliding incredibly well, like they're on rails. And that goes for the whole team. In recent years, they were all world champions in training, but then they made a lot of mistakes in the races. But you can see that they've done all their homework perfectly."
You share a room with three-time Olympic champion Felix Loch. What else can you learn from him?
Max Langenhan: “I would like to start like him, and I would also like to be able to adapt as quickly as he does to changing circumstances. Felix simply flips the switch to the situation he needs. I'm not so good at that.”
Is that a question of experience?
Max Langenhan: “I think it is experience. When you've done so many runs everywhere, you've already been through everything 18 or 19 times. I'm only in my sixth season. That makes a bit of a difference. Otherwise, communicating with him helps me.”
Why do you describe your ambition as both a strength and a weakness?
Max Langenhan: "The best example is my broken foot. Because I want to win the overall World Cup, I can't take a three-week break so that I'm fit for the World Championships. The fact that I can block out a lot of things is definitely a strength. But a weakness is that sometimes I don't recognize when a break would be good for me. Perhaps the perfectionism that goes hand in hand with my ambition isn't so good either. I can never be satisfied. I win races and think about the one mistake I made."
Is there such a thing as the perfect run?
Max Langenhan: “I haven't achieved the perfect run 100 percent yet. But I've managed it 99.9 percent twice.”
In which races?
Max Langenhan: "In 2018 at the Junior World Championships in Altenberg in the team relay. The second run was in Lake Placid in the sprint race in the penultimate season. At my second World Championship start in Königssee, I had a 98 percent run. Except for a slip out of the "Teufelsmühle" curve, everything was 100 percent perfect. At the finish line, Armin Zöggeler (two-time Olympic champion, editor's note) congratulated me on this run. For me, that was the ultimate accolade."
A year ago, before the World Championships in Whistler, you said that a perfect day for you would look like this: skiing in powder snow in the morning, winning 10-0 against your teamates in soccer, and then becoming world champion. Are you that relaxed, or is it that easy for you?
Max Langenhan: "That would actually be the perfect day. That's what I was asked at the time. An 8-0 or 7-0 soccer win would also be enough for me. For me, it's just a race."
It was the World Championship race that many of your competitors were nervous about.
Max Langenhan: "Some people really can't cope with the fact that I'm totally relaxed until shortly before the race. That's how it's developed over the years. I know immediately what's going on. I'm totally focused when it comes to delivering 100 percent. But for me, the switch is quickly flipped back. I say you shouldn't get too caught up in your head, but instead approach it with a sense of fun in the end.“
Fun, yes, but with a clear goal in mind?
Max Langenhan: ”Of course I want to be Olympic champion. But at the Olympics, anyone can be good on the big day."
