Photo: Bildbyrån
After his active career as a cross-country skier, Gunde Svan has problems with his heart. He has had checks and is under the supervision of the doctors.
Several former elite athletes have the same problem, one example is Ingemar Stenmark.
– I also have a heart that is a little marked by the sports career, Gunde tells Aftonbladet.
The numbers speak for themselves. Four Olympic golds, seven World Cup golds and five times winner of the overall World Cup do Gunde Swan62, to one of the world’s best cross-country skiers ever. During the 80s, there was hardly anyone who could measure up to him.
At the end of the 90s, after a short time as a rallycross driver with both SM gold and EC bronze, Gunde Svan instead started a new kind of career. It was then that TV presenter Gunde Svan was born. He has led beloved programs such as “Prisoners at the fort”, “Gladiators”, “In the head of Gunde Svan” and “Kompani Svan”. He has also appeared in “Let’s Dance”.
Gunde Svan’s heart problems
In a new interview with Aftonbladet, Gunde, who has now turned 62, talks about how his health looks today. He mentions that he prefers to exercise five times a week, still eats fairly healthy (not as much porridge anymore) and that he will never start drinking alcohol. The fact that he also has to wear glasses when he reads and that his hearing is a little worse, he has to “just accept”. It comes with age.
Aftonbladet’s reporter asks him about his heart. They point out that some athletes, for example Ingemar Stenmark68, who strained and trained their hearts hard during their athletic years may have problems as they get older. Stenmark has been forced to have an electrical conversion.
– I also have a heart that is a little marked by the sports career. We usually have very big hearts because we train so much. If you do it year in and year out, you get a trained muscle that is enormously strong. If the heart then doesn’t have to do that job, it becomes sluggish in some way and it wears out a lot, says Gunde.
The former ski star explains that he has had several checks in hospital and that the doctors have him under supervision. He thinks it feels good that they have an eye on him.
The family contracted TWAR
Ten years ago, a lot was written in the press about how Gunde and his family were exposed to the bacterial disease TWAR and that they became seriously ill. The disease can lead to pneumonia and infection in the throat, trachea and sinuses. You may experience classic cold symptoms and be generally tired and hungover. For many it takes a couple of weeks to get rid of the bacteria, but for others it can take up to a year. For Gunde and the family, it was about a year.
– It was probably among the worse experiences I’ve had. I had probably never thought about death before that. Should it end like this and go down to zero so quickly? When you put on rubber boots because you can’t bear to tie your boots when you go to pick up the mail… Then you’re tired, says Gunde.
READ MORE: Gunde Svan reveals his great childhood idol – one of Swedish sports’ greatest heroes ever: “I took after him”
– It’s an extremely long time and it felt like ten years. Every day I woke up I hoped it would be better. It was a really busy year, but not just for me. My wife and daughter also fell ill, only Ferry survived in the family.
It sounds nothing further, Gunde. Hope everything is under control and that you can continue to live as usual.
Your sporting career was amazing and it’s so great that you can continue to inspire and delight people through your TV shows.
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