today 12:35
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Swedish skier Emelie Wikstroem unexpectedly ended her career before the start of the World Cup. After the end of last season, the two-time Olympian was still testing her skis and preparing for the upcoming year during the summer.
The 27-year-old slalom farewell said goodbye to her career as a professional athlete for several reasons. However, the most important role in her decision was played by mental health. “It simply came to our notice then. I’ve been skiing my whole life, it was literally my life. A crazy lifestyle that I’m glad I could have.
But lately, I’ve been struggling with mental health as part of this lifestyle. I always said that I would continue as long as I loved it and enjoyed it. It’s not like that anymore, which of course I’m very sorry about, “ stated on Instagram.
Wikstroem admits that in addition to losing motivation, she feels more frequent pain in various parts of the body, and regeneration along with preparation for the next race is more difficult.
“Many of you see all the good parts, but there is a lot of hard work behind it. We travel a substantial part of the year, it’s 200 days of blood, tears and laughter. My body hurts from time to time. I don’t have to risk that faith anymore as before, which robs me of the fun parts of skiing. So I decided to start writing a new chapter in life. I am very grateful for all these years. I learned a lot more than I ever knew how to imagine and not just about skiing, ” said goodbye to the fans on the social network.
Wikstroem took part in 106 World Cup races, competing mainly in slalom. She also scored three starts at the World Championships and represented Sweden under five circles in Sochi and Pyongyang. Despite ten years in the saint, she won only once in the parallel slalom team competition. Her best individual placement was fourth place and overall she was among the 30 best slalom skiers in the world.
See also Mikaela Shiffrin with the ball.
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