Because the hype after winning Olympic gold in 1976 became too much for him, Heini Hemmi went fishing. His Valbella was always a source of peace. Until the moment when Roger Federer began building his holiday home next to him.
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- After Heini Hemmi’s 1976 Olympic victory in Innsbruck, the hype around him became too much, so he went fishing.
- First on the mountain stream, then in Alaska. At some point he turned his hobby into his profession. Today his son Gianin runs “Hemmi Wildlachs” in Valbella.
- The peace and quiet was over in 2011 when Roger Federer began building his holiday home right next to the Hemmis. “Buses full of tourists came to look at it,” says Hemmi in the Olympic talk “Legends for Eternity” and raves about Federer as a guy and neighbor.
5,000 fan letters per week, autograph sessions, marriage proposals and other frivolous offers – Heini Hemmi was the focus of public interest after his 1976 Olympic victory in Innsbruck. Even though he enjoyed the affection and benefited financially from it, at some point it became too much. “I needed something that would allow me to find my feet and switch off,” says Hemmi in the Olympic talk “Legends for Eternity” on blue.
On the recommendation of his father-in-law, he ended up fishing, mostly in a mountain stream. “You can really relax there. The water is rushing and you have to find out how and where you can outwit the fish,” says Hemmi. He relaxes at the same time.
Salmon import as a business model
But soon the mountain streams were no longer challenging enough for him. The waters became bigger, more attractive, more turbulent – until he landed in Alaska. “I’ve been there x times.” Often with big booty in their luggage. In 2010, however, the quantities that private individuals were allowed to export were restricted – to a maximum of 20 kilograms of fish.
So Hemmi developed a business model – and has been importing salmon commercially from Alaska ever since. “This is the best salmon you can import,” he says. The Hemmis smoke the imported fish themselves – since 2020, his son Gianin has been responsible for “Hemmi Wild Salmon”.
Of course, Father Heini helps out, for example in the shop or behind a stand at Christmas markets, where many people still recognize him, not least of course the older ones. «It’s amazing how many people still know me. It’s been 50 years since I skied.”
“Roger is a completely normal guy”
He is no longer the most popular resident in Valbella. Roger Federer has lived right next door to the ski legend for years. “I’ve also sold fish to Roger,” says Hemmi. The tennis king is a very pleasant neighbor. «Roger is a really likeable, great guy. Totally normal. When he drove past in the car, he sometimes stopped for a chat.”
The two sports legends have not yet skied together. “Roger had to give up skiing during his active days and we have never met on the slopes since his retirement,” says Hemmi.
Federer’s children went to the ski school in Valbella, which is run by Hemmi’s brother. However, the Olympic hero himself does not teach.
Despite being a good neighbor. But going over to Federer for a coffee and a chat wasn’t in the cards, says Hemmi. “Not for me either, everything is sealed off. But that’s necessary and a good thing.”
When Federer’s property was still under construction, buses from Appenzell even drove up with fans who wanted to see where the 20-time Grand Slam winner would one day live. A hero worship that not even Hemmi, the womanizer of old, experienced.
