On 30 April, Ebba Andersson will release her autobiography “From Olympic storm to WC gold”. In the book, the Swedish ski star opens up about her training and health, including about losing her period and how it affected her performances.
The turning point
In the three-mile race at the 2022 Olympics, Andersson was on course for bronze. With just over a kilometer to go, she had a gap of 24 seconds to the group chasing behind her. But in 17 freezing temperatures and a strong crosswind, it suddenly came to a complete stop.
She could barely smell the scent of precious metal on the run before the entire pursuer group passed her: Niskanen, Sundling, Sorina, Brennan and Claudel. Andersson was number eight. It darkened for her, and the disappointment was enormous. It was all the weather’s fault.
But in retrospect, Andersson sees the episode differently. With the good results she had early in the season and all the records in the test sessions, surely she should have had more thrust in her walking? She stuck her finger in the dirt.
– I couldn’t just think about training. That was not where the fault lay, says Andersson to Aftonbladet.
– I became more careful with the amount of food and the timing of meals in the run-up to the training sessions, and with snacks as well. I looked at recovery between sessions and at having a sensible load level.
Within a couple of months, the period returned. And with it also the achievements. The start of the 2022/23 season was uplifting. Victory and second place at the season opener in Ruka. Double victory in Les Rousses, superior victory in Toblach. And on 4 March 2023, Ebba Andersson won the 3,000 during the WC in Planica with a margin of almost one minute.
The 26-year-old says that she overlooked and ignored signs of overtraining, but after she took control, changed her diet and prioritized recovery, her period returned. Then she also performed significantly better. In the three-mile WC in Planica, Andersson won superiorly.
Now Andersson hopes that her experiences can influence young athletes to take their health seriously, and not ignore signs such as irregular periods.
Ebba Andersson feels that there is a development in the right direction there.
– We talk more and more about such things. I feel that it is more open about this now than when I joined the national team in 2015, but whether it is just because I have become more mature or that it has actually become so, I shall leave it unsaid.
Also read: Diggins pays a sky-high price for success
Book avalanche among the cross-country skiers
Earlier this season, Charlotte Kalla released her autobiography “Skam den som ger sig”.
Therese Johaug, who by all accounts is making an international comeback to the World Cup on home soil next season, published the book “Therese Johaug. The whole story” in autumn 2022. The same autumn also saw Marit Bjørgen’s second book “Marit’s Method”.
What they all have in common is that they have experienced challenges around food, body and performance. And that they hope their stories can contribute to more transparency around the topic.
Also read:
Open-hearted Charlotte Kalla: Struggled with body and food for years
