It should have been her year: The Beijing Winter Games are only a few months away. Nevertheless, the Norwegian Maren Lundby no longer likes. With tears on her face, the 2018 Olympic ski jumping champion in Pyeongchang speaks on Norwegian TV about why she won’t win another medal this winter. “At the moment I have a few kilos too much to jump into the top of the world,” she told the broadcaster “NRK”. “And I’m not willing to do crazy things to change that.”
In other words: the two-time world champion Lundby will be without the entire Olympic season. “Extreme demands are made in ski jumping, weight is one of them,” she says. “I have never controlled my weight irresponsibly, that is also part of my recipe for success.”
A sign for the next generation of female athletes
The Norwegian speaks of wanting to set an example. For yourself, on the one hand. For her it was “bitter, but a good decision. I’ve always been good at making good decisions ». But she also does it for the next generation of female athletes. Strict weight control should be “not an issue” for young female ski jumpers. “You can use it to destroy everything.”
The 27-year-old, who was last criticized in her home country for taking part in the dance show “Skal vi danse” and having skipped the summer season, explains: “My body has changed for natural reasons.”
So now the break. You’d rather have a long career than take risks now. “It’s tough because I like being a ski jumper so much. But I won’t be this year. I have to be able to say that – and I hope that people will appreciate that I’m so open. ” (red)