There are many older athletes in Sollentuna athletics hall this morning. But one face stands out. One of Sweden’s most famous athletes of all time, former alpine star Ingemar Stenmark, warms up at the pole vault.
– I jumped when I was little and have always been passionate about the sport. I’ve thought about trying it sometime and now someone said “why don’t you try it?”. So then I got to try it and thought it was great fun, he says.
What do you like about the sport?
– That it is complicated. It is technically difficult, a challenge all the time.
Is it scary?
– Well, I don’t jump that high, but it can be a bit scary. One must not hesitate.
Veteran WC this summer
He has trained eight sessions during the autumn and coach Jonas Asplund says that it is going well.
– He is very promising, a fun apprentice. He has an ability to take in instructions and he is body aware.
Stenmark, who won 86 victories in the Alpine World Cup, does not want to talk about heights or goals. But maybe there will be a competition next year.
– It’s the veteran WC in Gothenburg this summer. It’s not impossible, but I’m not really that competitive. It’s more of a fun thing and good exercise too.