Friday, October 8th, 2021
Don’t do “crazy things”
Ski jumping star refuses to start the Olympics
She is happy and healthy as never before. This is how Olympic ski jumping champion Maren Lundby describes her current situation. The catch is that it’s not enough for the Olympics. They will not use force to reduce their weight.
Maren Lundby was no longer the flawless ice queen. Tears rolled down the glowing cheeks of the otherwise professional Norwegian, her voice broke, but the message of the best ski jumper in the world could be heard clearly. “At the moment I have a few pounds too much to jump in the top of the world,” said the 27-year-old in a disturbing interview on TV station NRK: “And I’m not ready to do crazy things to change this. “
Lundby will therefore forego the entire Olympic season, the gold medal winner from Pyeongchang is not fighting for gold in Beijing. It was bitter, “but a good decision,” she said, “and I’ve always been pretty good at making good decisions.”
In any case, it is about much more than herself: Lundby wants to set an example. Against irresponsible external control over the body of female ski jumpers, for the health of young female athletes. “In ski jumping, extreme demands are made, weight is one of them,” said the two-time world champion: “I have never controlled my weight irresponsibly, that is also part of my recipe for success.” And especially for young female jumpers, “that is my message”, uncompromising weight control should “not be an issue”: “You can destroy everything with that.”
“I’d rather have a long career”
As a common man, Lundby would be far from weight “problems”. Certainly: your face looks a little rounder than a few months ago, and your body, which is not one of the thinnest in business anyway, is more stable. The latter has recently changed something “for natural reasons,” said Lundby, without being specific.
In the field of high-performance sport, most recently the scene of debates about leanness, as in the case of the athlete Konstanze Klosterhalfen, such a development can have catastrophic effects on young female athletes and create fatal pressure.
“I’m happy. My health is better than maybe never before,” said Lundby. To endanger this “only” for sport? Not an issue for her, who recently had to be scolded “unprofessionally” because she skipped the summer season and danced in the Norwegian version of “Let’s dance” on TV.
With the standing and self-confidence of one of the most successful jumpers in history, it is easier to pull the brakes than for a young athlete, Lundby knows that. Nevertheless, she wants to send a signal – she is not ready to sacrifice everything: “I love ski jumping. But I would rather have a long career.”