110 kilograms distributed over 1 meter 89. This is Remo Käser, a beast of a man, a gladiator in the sawdust and the new ambassador for Tissot. Because time trickles through the hourglass just as quickly as the sawdust through Käser’s hands.
FACES: How do you explain wrestling to a tourist? Remo Käser: Wrestling is more than just a sport. It combines sport with Swiss tradition. In rudimentary terms: it is a fair fight, man against man, with the aim of putting the opponent on his back.
F: What prevails in swinging: the sporting activity or the idea of tradition?
RK: Clearly the sporting idea. But it is up to every athlete to maintain and carry on traditions.
F: How do you convince young people to swing?
RK: That’s actually not easy, as the choice of sports is enormous. And swinging is a “hard” school, and success is sometimes rare. Especially in the transition from young talent to active players. I try to make the sport of wrestling more attractive to the outside world with junior training sessions and my active media and social media work. Swinging is a school of life, and you make friends for life. And I don’t need to tell anyone that man-to-man combat has always been interesting.
F: What makes a good swinger?
RK: Basically, it’s the combination of technique and strength. A certain size is an advantage, but we all need different fighters. Swinging is for everyone.
F: Is the rule true in swinging: the bigger the better?
RK: Size is certainly not a disadvantage, purely in terms of leverage. But you can make up for a lot with technology.
F: In what ways are you typically Swiss and in what ways are you not at all?
RK: How do you define a typical Swiss person? (laughs) I am proud of the typical values such as love of country, personal responsibility, independence, sense of duty and punctuality. And the freedom we enjoy in Switzerland. As a person, I tend to be open-minded, and the typical Swiss person is more reserved. As a swinger, I’m perhaps not typical, as I like listening to R’n’B and hip hop.
F: What do you miss about being away and what do you miss about home?
RK: When I’m far away, I miss being close to my family. But of course also the good infrastructure and the fact that everything works so smoothly. Security in Switzerland is a big plus. I think we Swiss lack a bit of the relaxed attitude that you feel in other countries. However, I doubt whether I would want to swap them for what we have here.
F: As an Alpine gladiator, are you a superhero?
RK: No kidding. No, we don’t talk about heroes in swinging anyway. Swinging is simply my passion, and I live it to the full. Alpengladiator comes from the fact that Red Bull TV produced the wrestling film “Gladiators of the alps” about me in 2018. In the meantime, I am working on developing an Alpine Gladiator collection for the neutral swing enthusiast.
F: Who is your hero?
RK: My grandparents and parents are my heroes. I always thought Hulk was very cool as a child.
F: Isbeing an athlete a dream job?
RK: Anyone who can turn their hobby into a profession can count themselves lucky. But we wrestlers are not professionals. Everyone is still working.
F: You post regularly on Instagram. A platform that you have to use or want to use?
RK: I see it more as an opportunity. Like media relations, social media is part of my job as a top athlete. Professionalism at all levels, that is my approach. But of course this would not be possible without a strong team behind you.
F: Everyone has a smartphone. Why do we still need a clock to tell the time?
RK: I see a modern, beautiful Tissot watch as one of the few ways a man can wear jewelry.
F: When does time pass quickly for you and when does it pass particularly slowly?
RK: Fast, if I haven’t put my opponent on his back yet in the match. The gear duration of five to seven minutes is then very short. Time passes rather slowly when you’re on vacation.
F: What do you choose and why: analog or digital?
RK: Difficult. I have to keep up with developments. But there are moments when I wish for the analog back. Like constant availability, for example.
F: Sweet or salty?
RK: Salty.
F: Spicy or mild?
RK: Mild.
F: Automatic or gear shift?
RK: I enjoy my Suzuki Vitara with automatic transmission. I can relax more that way. But on the racetrack, I found shifting very cool.
F: Day or night?
RK: As an athlete the day. Because I have to sleep at night so that I’m well rested.
F: Vita course or fitness studio?
RK: Fitness studio. As a wrestler, you spend a lot of time in the gym. And I like doing it.
F: Brawn or brains?
RK: You get further in life with brains. And in swinging, I need both.
F: What’s the best thing about winning, and how do you motivate yourself after a loss?
RK: The adrenaline, it’s a kind of satisfaction, and you reward yourself. It’s like compensation for all the effort and sacrifice in life. As we all know, you learn the most from defeats. It’s an incentive to do better next time.
F: What do you reward yourself with after a win?
RK: With a delicious dinner with the family.
F: What is the most expensive item you own?
RK: My Hüsler Nest bed or perhaps my fishing equipment.
F: What are you afraid of or have respect for?
RK: I’m not actually that scared. I have respect for everyone.
F: Do you have a hidden talent that no one knows about?
RK: I always thought I could sing. But I was wrong. (laughs)
F: Do you have a lucky charm?
RK: A lucky pig.
F: What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
RK: That was probably the participation in the first dance program “Darf ich bitten?” on Swiss television and the parachute jump for a Blick story.
F: What would you like to receive as a gift?
RK: Health for me and my loved ones.
F: What do you like to spend money on? And not for what?
RK: For vacations, my hobbies, family and, of course, food. I don’t like spending it on buses.
F: What rituals do you have?
RK: I’m always the first one in the sawdust ring.
F: Who would you like to meet and why?
RK: At the moment I think Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is really cool. Why not star with him in a blockbuster movie?
F: What do you put in a time capsule?
RK: My family.
F: What do you get annoyed about too often?
RK: Traffic jam on the A1 Bern-Zurich.
F: What was better in the past?
RK: I’m still sooo young. Why should I talk about the past? We live in the present. Let’s make the best of it.
Remo Käser has already brought home more wreaths than there is room for on the shelf. And he’s only 22 years old. At 15, he is the youngest ever winner of a wreath, and at 19 he came third at the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival – not bad! His dad is already a wrestling king when Remo isn’t even born yet. In 2017, the blond giant proved that he can do more than just throw men into the sawdust by dancing on the Swiss show “May I please?”. Swinging is Käser’s passion – the trained plumber also works part-time or has his picture taken for sponsors such as Tissot, Aldi Suisse, Suzuki, Red Bull or Fors.
