Cross-country skiing : “You can lead a life outside sport and still perform well” says Armand Duplantis
When Swedish cross-country skier Frida Karlsson posted her thoughts on training on Instagram, she probably wasn’t expecting the support of pole vault world record-holder Armand Duplantis. “I needed to do it. It’s my responsibility to the next generation,” Armand Duplantis told the daily Expressen.
The message from the 26-year-old cross-country skier, posted on 17 September, called on athletes to dare to follow their own path rather than conform to fixed models. Her message was widely circulated in the sporting world.
“With all the theories, research and optimisation, athletes are more like machines than human beings. I miss that wild side: the desire to try, to fail, to learn. Sport should be free and playful, like a dance without choreography”, she wrote on Instagram.
Armand Duplantis was one of those who welcomed this stance. “I agree with Frida. And I think I’m a very good example of how you can lead a life outside sport and still perform well. People don’t understand the extent to which being happy and having a balanced life improves performance. It’s not enough to train hard and follow a programme. There’s no benefit in being a robot.
The Scandinavian’s comments were also echoed by several Norwegian cross-country skiers. Even Northug and Harald Oestberg Amundsen publicly endorsed her message in an interview with TV2.
“I sometimes get the impression that a lot of people are so obsessed with this subject that it has become a disease. I’m very supportive of this idea. Too much stress, pressure, testing and research can spoil some of the joy,” explained Harald Oestberg Amundsen.
“I share this philosophy. Maybe I’m one of those people who doesn’t let trends influence me all the time. I take things week by week and let my intuition guide me. If it’s too strict, it becomes too boring for me to carry on”, Even Northug explained.
For Frida Karlsson, this discussion goes beyond her personal case. It’s a subject common to all sportspeople. “A lot of people have shared my thoughts and it’s aroused a lot of interest. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. It’s what I stand for, and I want to pass it on,” she concluded.
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