Nothing happens by chance in life. And so Henri Aymonod, at 25, and in his first season as a professional in mountain running, won the World Mountain Running World Cup, also putting the seal on the Vertical specialty cup by dominating the Chiavenna-Langunc with the third fastest time ever after those of the twins Bernard and Martin Dematteis. He is the fourth Italian to have succeeded after Antonio Molinari (2000), Marco De Gasperi (2001), Marco Gaiardo (2007) and Alex Baldaccini (2017). In the general classification he preceded the Hungarian Sandor Szabo and the Kenyan Geoffrey Gikuni Ndungu.
Aymonod, said it seems easy: as a professional you run freer and with fewer thoughts and it is easier to win. And instead?
“In part it was like that but it was a consequence of a season in which I grew up because I felt calmer and lighter in mind. I have not planned much, except to go in search of new races and on different terrains from the usual Vertical in which I have always been strong. I tested myself on Long Distance and Classic. I won the Challenge Stellina in front of Petro Manu (the Eritrean Cup winner in 2016, ed) after the beating of Sierre-Zinal, the race I had prepared and which was the disappointment of the season. I improved above all thanks to the disappointments ”.
From specialist to polyvalent, one might say. And where the ground was rising it has always dominated, as it has been doing for three years now
“I experimented with other specialties and I realized that I was not losing in pure climbs, quite the contrary. So I took confidence in myself, I collected important points and everything started to get easier ”.
Before Chiavenna he was second in the league behind the Hungarian Szabo: did he start to win?
“I started focusing only on the race, without wasting energy on useless calculations. I haven’t even loaded the GPS: I didn’t want any conditioning. So, I work well “.
Can you live by running in the mountains?
“Companies have begun to believe and invest in this sport. And, then, everything is starting to become possible. I am one of the 30 elite athletes of a brand that ranges from mountaineering, to climbing, to extreme skiing and, now, to mountain running. A team in which results count, but also ideas, projects and the way in which each of us interprets their sport count, and are worth 50%. Comparisons that open the mind and allow everyone to grow. In November we will be in Iceland for a common camp during which each of us – from athletes to managers – will bring their own experience “.
Is mountain running changing?
“It changes but there is a lot of work to do. There are too many federations and there are too many types of competitions. The signs, however, are there. Beyond the companies, it is the political party that is starting to work to promote our sport and to bring it, who knows, maybe to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028: the environment is talking about it “.
A degree in Exercise Science, from Villeneuve in the Aosta Valley and a possible job in this field: would he have been a coach had he not become a professional?
“Who knows, in the meantime I am thinking of enrolling in the master’s degree and continuing my studies. We often discuss this topic with my coach Paolo Germanetto: and it is interesting to see how certain types of training that are good for me on other athletes do not work. The studies done, in this sense, facilitate me and allow me and Paolo to grow together ”.
Aymonod: Has your life changed this year?
“Yup. Now I feel part of a work team that unlocks situations and allows me to grow. The season seems over but the goal is around the corner: the World Championships in Chiang Mai (Thailand, ed.) Should be moved to February to have more vaccines. It will not be a quiet winter, mine: the title of Vertical will also be the prize “.