Ragnhild Mowinckel together with her supporters and parents. Mum Sissel and dad Harald. Photo: Private
On Saturday, Ragnhild Mowinckel was paid for a change in the training schedule. But the Olympics in the favorite hill in two years will basically go without the winner.
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- Ragnhild Mowinckel won her first downhill World Cup victory in Cortina
- The downhill victory is Norway’s first World Cup victory in alpine skiing this season
- Mowinckel says the Olympics in Cortina in two years will most likely go without her
- She got better results after changing her training regimen and focusing more on downhill to become more confident driving at high speed.
Sea view
– It’s my favorite ground, but I’ve said all along that the Olympics in Beijing were most likely my last. The Cortina Olympics are still quite a few years away.
That’s what Ragnhild Mowinckel tells VG after a dream day in Italy.
On Saturday in Cortina, Mowinckel sped down to what must almost be called an outclassing of the competitors. Her first downhill win in her career.
After what was presumably a discharge on Saturday, there was not as much success at the super-G. At the time of writing, she is in fourth place.
It does not take away from the fact that on Saturday she took Norway’s first World Cup victory in alpine skiing this season. The streak of at least one win in the season since 1988 has thus been extended.
– I can’t say I’ve actually landed. It has gone in one go. But it’s bullshit. I am very pleased with the driving today. It is a special race, with a lot of wind and people crashing. But finally I felt like I had karma on my side a little. It got faster at the end when we started again. I am very happy, says a cheerful Mowinckel.
At home at Eidsvåg in Romsdal, dad Harald sat and followed closely – and eagerly – along.
– It is absolutely fantastic. I got a good feeling when I saw her up at the start. She looked relaxed and happy, says the father.
He says that he has been skiing with his daughter since she was 13 months old. The downhill victory on Saturday puts him right up there with the Olympic silver in the same discipline in Pyeongchang.
– It is completely adventurous. I was almost completely speechless and didn’t dare say anything. But it is an experience that all Alpine parents dream of, says Harald Mowinckel.
Giant slalom and super-G have been Ragnhild Mowinckel’s focus disciplines. The father says that before this season she took a step which paid off on Saturday.
– She invested a little more downhill to get better in super-G and get more speed in her body, says her father.
Photo: Sergio Bisi/IPA Sport / ipa-agen / Pa Photos / NTB
From Italy, the daughter elaborates:
– It has been about increasing the tolerance for speed. You get that from downhill. Cortina is also the place where I feel most comfortable. Paradoxically, I am a sprinter who is not too fond of speed. When it doesn’t feel so fast, I drive faster, says Mowinckel.
– It was a shitty relationship. So then I became reserved and cautious. But there have been better conditions recently and security is being built. Step by step for each training session and each race, I have gained more and more meat on my bones. But in the beginning it was really uncomfortable. I didn’t feel safe, says Mowinckel to VG.
– What does the first downhill victory mean to you?
– It is something you have hoped for and believed in. I’ve spent a hell of a long time getting it done. I’ve spent a lot of my downhill time getting comfortable with speed. I know I can ski, even if I haven’t always managed to do it. But now I’ve got a win in all the disciplines I race and that’s cool.
– It is extremely important to me. It’s a piece of the puzzle I’ve been missing. I wanted that picture complete. It’s really cool of you to make it happen. And it’s great to get it done in the middle of the season and. Then there are still many races left, she says.
Then there were these Olympic Games in Cortina in two years. A hill the 31-year-old likes very much. But basically the last Olympics were her last. The victory on Saturday hasn’t changed that either.
– Basically, it doesn’t have that But you should never say never.
– So this doesn’t give you any incentive to continue, does it?
– Yes, that does it for the seasons I have left. But two years is still a long time, she smiles.
Sunday at At 10.30, Mowinckel continues his pursuit of triumphs with the super-G on the calendar in Cortina. You can watch the race on Viaplay and TV3.
Published:
Published: 28.01.24 at 09:01
Updated: 28.01.24 at 11:03