Gyda Enger:Of the ladies' national team of Norway

Gyda Enger:Of the ladies' national team of Norway

DoB 14/01/1993

(picture by scanpix)

Gyda Enger is a rising star on the Norwegian firmament.

With her age of 19, she already showed great results and proved that a vocation survives falls and setbacks. After her heavy fall in Vikersund in 2008 she fought her way back to a top rank in Norwegian ski-jumping:

She is elected into the ladies’ national team for the upcoming season! So don’t miss to follow the ladies World Cup and Gyda’s career!

“As an athlete you feel that the sport has been respected, and I feel that ski-jumping gives me meaning.”

Skijumpingitaly: Thanks Gyda for finding the time to deliver us an insight in your world of ski-jumping! At first congratulations for being in the ladies’ A-team! How is it for you to have the ladies WC now?

Gyda Enger: Thank you! For me it is an important motivating factor to be part of the WC circus. As an athlete you feel that the sport has been respected, and I feel that ski jumping gives me meaning because we know it is possible to look forward to World Cup, world championships and Olympic Games. So I think that the WC will help us to build up a major sport over some years. The WC gives us also more attention, and the sponsors are more interested, that gives us more resources to go “all in” for our goals.

SJI: When did you start with ski-jumping and what was the reason for that?

GE: I started when I was around 4 years old. The reason for that was my two older brothers who was doing Nordic combine, so then it was almost granted for me to start with Nordic combine. I also had many cousins who was doing Nordic combine. When I was around 13 years old I decided to quit with cross country, and only concentrate on ski jumping because that was the most exciting and coolest thing to do.

-“So almost exactly two years after my fall in the same hill I won the Norwegian championship, that was a fantastic feeling for me! But I think that my big focus on myself in that period, and my love for the sport brought me back as a ski jumper.”-

SJI: After your heavy fall in 2008 you fought your way back to a high level of ski-jumping and finally in the women’s national team. How did you make it?

GE: Yeah I got a quite big knee injury after a fall in Vikersund 2008, I got an injury on my ACL, PCL, meniscus and my mediale collaterale ligament all together in my right knee. So my doctors were not so positive to my injury, one of them told me after my first surgery, that I would never be able to ski jump again, because my knee would never be strong enough again. That was a really hard and terrible massage to get, but I think that maybe that message took out the devil in me, and I wanted to prove for him that I will be able to ski jump again. So after 3 surgeries and almost 11monthes, I did my first ski jump after the fall. My first comeback season I had to use a knee brace, but I was happy to be back in the hill. So almost exactly two years after my fall in the same hill I won the Norwegian championship, that was a fantastic feeling for me, after that victory I felt that I had success with my comeback. But I think that my big focus on myself in that period, and my love for the sport brought me back as a ski jumper.

Gyda’s previous career

-“But I think and hope that the upcoming summer season and training will help me to get the technical good, so I can get my revenge of the last season.”-

SJI: What do you think about the last season?

GE: My last season/this winter was not good at all, for me. After a quite good summer season me and my coach decided to do some technical changes, in the end of the summer season. And I did not handle the new technical changes so fast as we hoped, so I started the winter season with a low self-confidence and I did not trust myself. So after some bad results I was quite stressed after some good jumps, and that did not help at all. But I think and hope that the upcoming summer season and training will help me to get the technical good, so I can get my revenge of the last season.

(picture found on Gyda's FB)

SJI: What was for you the best competition you took part in?

GE: I had some good trial jumps and official training jumps this season, but did not make two good jumps in a comp, so the best WC result was place 30 from Val de Fiemme. I like that hill, so that’s positive for the upcoming season with World Championship.

SJI: What is your opinion on the new jumping suit?

GE: Looks ok, but I won’t say anything before I have test the suit. So we will see.

SJI: What does your training look like?

GE: Now my training period is based on much strength and basic technique. But soon I am ready to fly again.

-“Ski-Jumping: LIFE IS FUN”-

SJI: Please use 3 words to describe yourself and 3 words to describe, what ski-jumping means to you.

GE: Myself: do my best, Ski jumping: LIFE IS FUN

SJI: Who is your role model?

GE: Andreas Kofler

• Personal things:

Hobbies: downhill skiing, cross country, mountain walking, hang out with friends and family

Study: Im soon finished with my education on NTG Lillehammer high school, so in the autumn I will most likely start an education in psychology also in Lillehammer.

Food: all type of seafood

SJI: What are your aims and goals for the future?

GE: - One of the favorites to take a medal in the Olympic games 2014

- Medal in a world championship 2015 or 2017

- Be on the podium in a world cup competition within two years, and on the top of the podium within three years.

Thanks for your answers, Gyda! We are excited to see your goals become true in the near future!

• Interview by Peggy Kierstan (@pikayartist)