Olympic champion Victoria Carl has a good laugh. The cross-country skier from Zella-Mehlis celebrated the most successful season of her career this winter. The successes are the result of hard work.
She already has Olympic gold, but this season was probably the best of her career for cross-country skier Victoria Carl. After a number of top places, the top athlete from Zella-Mehlis put the icing on the cake in Trondheim and surprisingly achieved her first World Cup success.
Carl establishes himself at the top of the world
At the final in Falun, Sweden, the 28-year-old secured fourth place in the overall World Cup by finishing seventh in the final 20-kilometer start, equaling the best German women’s result in history. As second in the distance ranking, Carl also achieved the historically best placement of a German runner.
It’s almost impossible to do more than that, the sports soldier explained in an MDR interview. “It was about time. My personal goal was to achieve a podium finish. And to be at the top in Trondheim was fantastic.” She also “definitely wouldn’t have thought second place in the Distance World Cup was possible before the season.”
Victoria Carl had a good laugh this winter.
“Trust had to grow”
As strong as this season was, the successes certainly didn’t come easily to Victoria Carl. There was an incredible amount of work behind it. “You have to know that you have your strengths and that with a lot of training you can be at the front,” emphasized the Thuringian. “I had a lot of setbacks, my confidence in myself had to grow.” Last summer she benefited from the fact that she was able to “train completely.”
This winter the overall package was right
In order to stabilize or improve their performance, Carl not only trains in Oberhof, but also individually. That’s why she worked with physiotherapists to develop a special strength plan that she can implement depending on her form on the day.
“I’m a tall, heavy athlete who needs a lot of stability in my upper body and leg axis.” This winter the overall package was right. “These were the laurels for the hard work this year,” Carl summarized.
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