La Loupe Lech & Zürs No. 15 - Winter Edition

L.L. At 22-years-old you’re at the beginning of
your cross-country skiing career. Do you have a role
model that’s always been with you along the way?
J.B. I would say that my family had a role model
effect – my father in particular. He introduced me
and my siblings to cross-country skiing and he
taught us the basic technique. And I’ve been fascinated
with it since then. I think role models are
people who live their dreams and who strive to
create added value. Meaning that they pass something
on and make a change for the better. I am
lucky to have had the privilege of meeting some of
those along the way.
L.L. Your fighting spirit was awakened during
playful competitions in your childhood. When was
it that you decided to become a professional athlete?
J.B. After compulsory schooling I knew what path
I was going to take: cross-country skiing was going
to stay an important part of my life. Which is why I
decided to go to Dornbirn’s sports high school with
a focus on high-performance sports. And that definitely
was the right path for me and a perfect way
to combine education and sports. After my A-levels
in 2015 I focused 100 percent on cross-country skiing
– that was when my professional career began.
Sport & Freizeit
“My family had a role
model effect – my
father in particular.”
“In accordance with
the motto ‘winter
bodies are made in
summer’ I have several
training sessions
every day.”
“As far as mental
strength goes the
same is true for beginners
and pros
alike: you need
stamina!”
L.L. Winter is coming: how are you preparing
for the upcoming competitions?
J.B. According to the motto: “winter bodies are
made in summer” I have several training sessions
per day. Most of them happen at the training
centre Olympiazentrum Vorarlberg where the
sports scientist Antje Peuckert is taking professional
care of me. The summer training plan is
extremely varied. In order to make sure I can
give everything I have during the competitions
in winter the intensity can be quite high, actually.
Most of the preparation is ski roller training.
Jasmin Berchtold who was born
in Vorarlberg in 1996 first got in
touch with cross-country skiing
as a young child and she was
always excited to participate in
cross-country ski races for children
and schoolkids. Later she
was able to prove her skills during
national and international
championships. Today Jasmin
Berchtold stands at the beginning
of her professional career.