Cross-country skiing ace Helene Marie Fossesholm ends her career at just 24 years old and causes tears in the Norwegian team. National coach Sjur Ole Svarstad feels goosebumps at the surprising decision.
The Norwegian cross-country skiing team suffered a bitter loss shortly before the start of the Olympic winter. Completely unexpectedly, Helene Marie Fossesholm decided to end her career with immediate effect at the age of 24.
The Norwegian justified her decision with motivation problems. “I have somewhat sad news to announce. I have decided to quit. In the last few months my motivation has fluctuated a lot, although unfortunately I have mostly felt the opposite,” Fossesholm wrote in her resignation announcement on Instagram.
The athlete tried everything in the summer to reignite the fire, but ultimately had to admit defeat.
“I always hoped that this feeling was just temporary and that my motivation would return. I tried to focus on the positive, so I also pretended that my motivation was at its peak. Unfortunately, taking time didn’t help,” she elaborated.
Fossesholm wants to become a doctor
The fact that Fossesholm already has very precise plans for the future may also have played a role in the decision-making process. The 24-year-old would like to start studying medicine, which will definitely keep her busy in the coming years. “It will be a different life, but one that I’m looking forward to,” she says, looking forward to her new goal.
Fossesholm celebrated her greatest success at the 2021 Nordic World Ski Championships when she won gold in the relay. In the same year she became Norwegian champion in the 10 kilometer freestyle and took ninth place in the cross-country skiing distance World Cup. She reached the World Cup podium twice in individual races.
Cross-country skiing ace Helene Marie Fossesholm ends her career at just 24 years old, causing tears in the Norwegian team. National coach Sjur Ole Svarstad feels goosebumps in light of the surprising decision.
The Norwegian cross-country skiing team has to accept a bitter loss shortly before the start of the Olympic winter. Completely surprisingly, Helene Marie Fossesholm decided to end her career at the age of 24 with immediate effect.
The Norwegian justified her decision with motivation problems. “I have a somewhat sad message to announce. I have decided to quit. In the last few months, my motivation has fluctuated a lot, with me unfortunately mostly feeling the opposite,” Fossesholm wrote in her resignation statement on Instagram.
The athlete tried everything in the summer to rekindle the fire, but ultimately had to admit defeat.
“I always hoped that this feeling was only temporary and that my motivation would return. I tried to focus on the positive, so I acted as if my motivation was at its peak. Unfortunately, it didn’t help to take my time,” she explained.
Fossesholm wants to become a doctor
A role in the decision-making process may also have been played by the fact that Fossesholm already has very specific plans for the future. The 24-year-old wants to start studying medicine, which should fully occupy her in the coming years. “It will be a different life, but one that I am looking forward to,” she looks forward to her new goal.
Fossesholm celebrated her greatest success at the 2021 Nordic World Ski Championships, when she won gold with the relay team. In the same year, she became Norwegian champion over 10 kilometers freestyle and finished ninth in the Cross-Country Distance World Cup. She reached the World Cup podium twice in individual races.