Photo: Youtube/@The Official STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® SERIES
Few sports profiles are as close to their emotions and tears as Gunde Svan.
When he talks about his son Ferry’s JVM gold in timber sports, the tears overflow.
– It is so unlikely, he says in the documentary “How much do you want to win?”.
He can come across as a real tough guy at times, but deep down he is Gunde Swan62, a real softie. Four Olympic golds, seven World Cup golds and 30 wins in the World Cup make everyone drop their jaws. But Gunde’s greatest achievement, according to him, is that he brought up the children Julia31, and Ferry28, to become such good and independent people.
Gunde’s relief
It is when he talks about his son Ferry that the tears come, when he takes part in the documentary film “How much do you want to win?”. The film, which is available on YouTube, is about Ferry’s decision to stop skiing in high school to instead find his own way forward. After a short stint as a motocross rider, he eventually became a professional timber sports athlete, something that probably surprises most people. Ferry chops large pieces of wood and logs with axes and saws through them with a chainsaw as quickly as possible.
– To get even better, I needed to train a lot more. Every now and then I felt that it wasn’t what I wanted to do, says Ferry in the film.
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Gunde admits, with tears in his eyes, that he liked his son’s decision to stop skiing.
– I actually thought it was nice because I understood the pressure he would have on his shoulders if he tried to live up to my own results, he says.
“It’s so unlikely”
Ferry Svan’s breakthrough in the new sport came in the JVM in Hamburg 2017. He was then the first Swede to participate in the championship ever. But that’s not enough. He amazingly won gold in his first ever JVM.
– It is so unlikely. Like someone from Hawaii or Africa would win the World Ski Championships. He was going there just to see where the bar was. That he then gets it done and holds it together… that was big, says Gunde.
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He is very proud of his son and says that he feels more joy that his son won a world championship than that he himself has done it many times.
– It’s hard to describe… I’ve won the World Cup myself… but it fades completely when one’s children do it, he says and lets the tears trickle out.
Since last summer, Ferry Svan has been Nordic champion at senior level. Next weekend he will take part in the World Championship in timbersports which will take place in France.
It’s so nice that you dare to show emotions and let the tears come, Gunde. It is brave and manly.
Good luck with the WC next weekend too, Ferry. Would be so incredibly cool if you could pick up a medal there. It would also have made your dad SO proud.
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