PHOTO: TT News Agency
Gunde Svan is one of the greatest skiers Sweden has ever had.
Today, his life is quite different from that of other retired skiers.
– I have put skiing aside, Gunde tells Sportbibeln.
It’s a very nice skiing career that Gunde Swan has behind it. Four Olympic golds, seven World Cup golds and 30 wins in the World Cup are just some of his achievements. And then Gunde had a relatively short career, just over nine years, when he retired as a 29-year-old.
Current now
After his skiing career, Svan has tried everything possible – rallycross, national team manager, national team captain. He has been with several programs such as “Mästarnas Mästare”, “Let’s Dance”, and was a summer speaker in P1. Gunde has also been the presenter of “Prisoners at the fort”, “In the head of Gunde Svan”, and “Sweden against Norway”.
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Now Gunde is current with “Kompani Svan”, which is in its second season.
– My wife has run individual and leadership development for many years here in Vansbro. After that, we have tried, this Kompani Svan that is going now, to be able to get other people to grow. It is something that I have felt afterwards that, depending on how you think and how you are, you can influence quite a lot how the future turns out. Influence a result, and in many cases how life turns out, what attitude you have, says Svan to Sportbibeln.
Social Media
Gunde continues:
– Many people think that you are born this way, but it is something you have to practice like with anything else. And I think that feels great fun, to make others grow. I’ve seen really good examples of that this year, but also last year at this company. When they do things they themselves are surprised they managed, “was that me?” as well as. And when they talk about it for several months afterwards, it feels very, very funny.
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There is also some tinkering with social media these days. Together with his son Ferry Svan, Gunde can be seen getting up to mischief on Instagram.
– It was the son who thought that – now the dinosaur has to wake up, “you can hang out a bit dad, it’s 2020, we have to bite the bullet”. But then it’s thanks to my wife that it happens at all, she sneaks up on us sometimes in different contexts. So it’s just business as usual, I’d say. We do a lot of things, and she has started filming them.
READ MORE: Gunde Svan’s very honest words about Therese Johaug’s comeback – the icon admits: “I think that risk exists”
Gunde is praised
You get a lot of praise in the comments section, is that something you read and take to heart?
– Absolutely. But again, it’s forward that applies there as well. There is nothing that lasts forever somehow it feels like. But it’s fun if people think it’s interesting to follow us, even if sometimes I don’t understand how. That they watch as we sit and talk about something they can’t understand at all, and they watch the whole video. It’s a bit funny, Gunde says and laughs.
Between the years 2007 to 2009, Svan worked with the Swedish national skiing team, but since then has had no role in skiing.
– I let go of the skis quite early. I was there as national team manager in 2007/2008, but felt afterwards that I had my own children to take care of as well. So I prioritized focusing on them instead. Now it’s my wife who coaches my son the most, he does timber sports. But skiing itself for my part, it is put aside. Now I am a serviceman for the son and bring out wood, cook things, and look after him there instead. When I’m not doing TV.
READ MORE: Gunde Svan names the best skier on the women’s side – nodding both Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson
Swan & the skis
Could you imagine returning to a role in skiing in the future?
– No, now I think it’s too late. If you want to have that expertise that I had then, it is probably gone today. I thought it sounded like that already at the time my daughter was skiing, that “it was in the time of the dinosaurs, dad, it doesn’t apply today”, haha. So now I think it has been a little too long, says Gunde.
READ MORE: Gunde Svan’s clear concern for Swedish skiing today – the icon sees problems and compares to Norway: “It doesn’t work”
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