podcast
Double runner-up world champion, face of the German team – and at the same time school: Combined athlete Nathalie Armbruster has had eventful months. In the summer special of the winter sports podcast, the 17-year-old talks about her outstanding season and gives an insight into her summer training.
sports show: Nathalie Armbruster, from a German point of view you are the face of Nordic combined for women at least since your double vice world championship title. Are you aware of that?
Nathalie Armbruster: It’s very, very strange when I see myself on TV, when I watch some races again and also when I hear myself in the interviews. A few years ago that was so far away. Now it’s just really weird when I see myself where I was chasing the others until recently. Otherwise I was often on the hunt for autographs and cheered on the others, I’m not even aware that I’m the face of the Nordic Combined women now.
sports show: You won double silver at the World Championships in Planica in February. When did you realize what you had achieved?
crossbow: I actually said to myself at the moment of winning the first medal: ‘Nathalie, you just became Vice World Champion’. But you don’t realize that yet. It didn’t just take me days, but weeks, for it to be fully received.
sports show: Not only was the World Championship successful for you, the whole course of your first full season as a Nordic athlete was extremely positive. How did you experience the time?
crossbow: As soon as I was told that I would be part of the national team for the season, tears started to flow down my eyes. Everyone around me was wondering: ‘What’s going on with Nathalie now?’. Things went very well in the summer.
My first podium in winter was like a dream. Totally magical. I didn’t realize right away that I was writing German history with it – as the first Nordic combined woman to stand on the World Cup podium. I thought it was a one off thing but the season went on so well. I was just totally happy to be able to experience these moments.
sports show: We’re currently riding through the Kniebis ski stadium in your home country on roller skis and inline skates at over 40 km/h. How often do you train here?
crossbow: Because I can only train once a day, I train endurance two to three times a week and in the spring we often go jogging. In the summer I’m often out and about here on roller skis and then on skis in the winter. So I’m very happy that I can do my endurance kilometers here at home.
sports show: What about ski jumping? When are you going to the hill?
crossbow: Jump training is always a thing. I have to drive two hours to be able to jump on the larger hill. That’s difficult with school, because you’re often missing an afternoon. And of course: my parents have to drive me or I can drive with the other athletes.
We then drive two hours to the ski jump. If things go well, we do six jumps and then drive two hours back home. This is a huge investment of time. Otherwise I collect my jumps on the courses or at the competitions.
sports show: This cross-country stadium is totally idyllic, almost romantic. But training isn’t really that romantic, is it?
crossbow: I really love rollerskiing, much more than jogging, because you can do more speed on rollerskis than on skis. This is my time when I can switch off my thoughts completely and hide the stress. Especially here, where it’s so quiet. But also with my training group.
But of course, when things get really tough and we push our limits in training, I do start to whine. But after training you’re happy again that you’ve trained so hard – then you just feel better.
sports show: You’re a full-time student, full-time professional – how do you actually switch off?
Armbruster: There is relatively little time to do nothing and relax. But my parents in particular make sure that I take my breaks too. Whenever I have a forced break of half an hour, I like to read and of course I really like to do something with my friends, I have pets at home – just stroking the cat, that helps too.
sports show: How are you approaching the new season?
crossbow: I would be lying if I said I was starting from scratch like last year. The mentality of us athletes is usually such that we want to top everything again. Of course, I also know that it will be difficult. The level of performance has increased enormously, the top of the World Cup has moved closer together.
I hope to be on the podium again after the overall World Cup. This is an absolute dream. But of course, I still have so much time in my career. Because I still have school on the side and can’t train like the others, I have to be kind to myself: If things don’t go quite so well, I don’t stick my head in the sand.
sports show: A big dream of yours would definitely be an Olympic medal. We still have to talk about the Olympics anyway…
crossbow: Definitive. It was a huge childhood dream of mine to be at the Olympics one day.
sports show: Even when you were young you clearly positioned yourself and started protest actions, after the IOC decided not to include women’s competitions in the 2026 Games programme. What do you wish for your sport?
crossbow: Of course, I would like Nordic combined for women to become an Olympic discipline as early as 2026, because the decision made by the IOC is incomprehensible from a sporting point of view. Money rules the world – you just have to say that. It’s all about ratings again. It’s just so sad and so unfair. In fact, all the conditions set by the IOC were met. It hurts incredibly to know that the men will be able to be there in 2026 and that we will have to sit in front of the television and watch it.
More winter sports in the summer special
Missed the last episode? In the summer special of the winter sports podcast, ski racer Lena Dürr was a guest in May as part of the DSV summer outfit – and, among other things, answered questions from sports show expert Felix Neureuther.