Ebba Andersson went from huge disappointment at the Olympics to success at the WC.
Now she is releasing a book that she hopes will help young elite athletes.
– I could feel shame, she says.
Ebba Andersson’s Olympics in Beijing were not what she had hoped for. She had done brilliant results in tests during the autumn, and the pre-season had been good. But during the Olympics, when it mattered most, it was no better than sixth individually. And with only a kilometer left of the three mile, she lost to all the riders, and the bronze medal that seemed to be hers was lost.
Reveals the new venture
A year later she became WC queen. Andersson won World Cup gold in both the skiathlon and 30 kilometer mass start, and also took the bronze medal in the 10 kilometer individual start, as well as in the relay. What actually happened during the year? How did the change become so great? Ebba Andersson is now releasing a book about it, on Storytel, on April 30.
In the book, Ebba Andersson mainly urges younger elite athletes not to overlook warning signs when pushing the body too hard, and as an example she mentions missed periods. She also believes that she felt shame when she had problems in the past, something she now wants to help curb.
– The first time it didn’t come, I reacted. It was a bit strange. But I understood that it happens to many elite athletes, it’s a natural mechanism if you push the body hard, so I found acceptance in it. No period, nothing strange. I was able to train, I thought I ate what I needed, continued to develop, everything was tough, says Ebba Andersson to Aftonbladet.
The call: “Take it more seriously”
Ebba Andersson did everything to get both diet and recovery in order. Andersson had already shown signs of overtraining a year before the Olympics, but ignored all the signs, including the missed period. Just a few months into Ebba’s comprehensive treatment – which included meetings with nutritionists, gynecologists and a mental coach – her body began to show signs that it was doing well. The same autumn, i.e. 2022, the values also started to be better, and the dream of WC gold started to be awakened.
– It was a confirmation that the changes had yielded results, but I still didn’t feel that I had improved as a skier. Only when I got on snow did the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, she says.
Now Ebba Andersson, with her book as help and guidance, is appealing to younger people not to ignore signs such as irregular periods.
– Take it more seriously. I would have needed some type of information, because you are busy developing and increasing your investment. But if menstruation is absent or irregular, it is a sign of something. What’s behind it? I myself have felt the effect when it became regular again.
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