PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Ebba Årsjö lives with constant pain in one of her legs.
Over the years it has gotten worse and it eats away at her mentally.
– I don’t know how to handle it, I think a lot, and I think long-term, forward, she tells SVT.
The Alpine downhill skier Ebba Årsjö is one of Sweden’s foremost Paralympians – and a public face for para sports.
The pain for Årsjö
Due to Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome, she suffers from a constant pain in one of her legs. In recent years it has gotten worse.
– It’s a bit troublesome that the pain is catching up and running away. I’m pretty outwardly positive about the media but try to be honest, two out of three training sessions are really heavy. It’s hard to have pain every day when you stand up. I’m doing something I love and push, but then I provoke the pain, says Årsjö to SVT.
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Despite the pain, she has achieved great success in recent years. In 2022, she won double gold in both the Para WC and the Paralympics. In 2023, she took home the title in the overall World Cup.
Last winter, she needed to take into account the pain and strain on her leg and refrained from downhill skiing. Another WC awaits the 23-year-old next winter.
READ MORE: Ebba Årsjö’s honest words about the huge success – can now do what no one thought possible: “Nervous”
Ebba now admits
When asked how big the difference is between 2022 and now when it comes to pain experience, she answers:
– Quite significantly. I’ve always had pain but it’s in a different way now unfortunately.
Ebba Årsjö tells SVT that the physical pain eats away at her mentally. That is why she has started working with a sports psychologist.
– It is new and we are working well on how I should think, he is a support and tries to guide me a little when my thoughts turn to the future and what I should do, when the pain increases. A lot of things like that, I have a lot of thoughts and am very aware, maybe a little too aware.
– I think it will give a lot. It doesn’t mean that I always have a problem, but it’s something I’ve had a long time ago and now I’m tackling it as a preventative measure, she says.
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