by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Alpine skier Linus Strasser seems a perfect match when it comes to possibly creating a surprise at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The 29-year-old is not one of skiing's superstars continuously collecting titles and trophies. Instead, the Munich-born German athlete stands for the values of Olympic sports like no other.

If it holds true that Olympic Games is full of magic moments when international athletes gather in one place to enjoy competitions watched by millions of sports enthusiasts, it must be the perfect event for someone like him.

Strasser stands for passion and overwhelming excitement about downhill racing, giant slalom and slalom in particular. Call him one of the world's pure Olympians.

The Bavarian athlete loves the moments in advance of a race when this do-or-die feeling takes hold of him.

Strasser is ambitious, but at the same time, he remains in a relaxed state of coolness.

Taking victory at the last pre-Olympic slalom in Schladming, Austria last weekend saw him win his only third World Cup race in his career.

This time he found the right balance between his often impetuous style based on a highly risky approach and the necessary stability.

"Skiing is about attacking and investing all you have," he reported. This time he managed to "stay all by myself, my race and forget about the others."

He became the first German to win the traditional race in one of skiing's most famous locations.

"It's a fantastic feeling to win Schladming. But now the Olympics is coming up. And, I tell you what, it's the same. It means to stay cool and don't rack your brains," he added.

Olympics are heaven for him, he said. "It's about enjoying the greatest sports event you can find."

His way seems to make him everybody's darling. While competing for his home club TSV 1860 Munich, his biggest fans seem to come from the club's local rival Bayern Munich.

1860 and Bayern might be known for their football teams, but also have teams in several other sports like basketball and skiing.

No surprise that winter sports fans such as Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann and striker Thomas Muller watch Strasser's every race, despite their club's rivalry in football.

"It's a must for me to see him compete," outdoor enthusiast Nagelsmann stated. German international Muller delivered an encouraging comment on social media ahead of the Schladming night race, saying: "Go, Linus, go."

Aside from the skier's sporting qualities, Nagelsmann and Muller seem fond of his spirit and share their admiration with many others.

Other than football stars, Strasser seems an ordinary sportsman when traveling to racing venues. Heading for Schladming, he took his car, dropped in at a petrol station, and enjoyed the cheers of his fans.

"After I told them, yes, it's me and asked for the bill, one of them shouted: 'Hey, Strasser, you are going to win tonight.' We all shared a burst of heartfelt laughter." Enditem

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