– I’m hanging up. I’m finished. Those were the surprising words Lucas Braathen came up with on 27 October, when, as a 23-year-old, he chose to retire right before the planned start of the World Cup in Sölden. Already in the summer of 2022, it became clear to both father Bjørn and son Lucas that the former ski star was not quite himself, when he met the family for a cabin holiday. – I saw very clearly that he was not well. His behavior was not very charming either and we who were with him noticed it well, says the father. Together with his son, he is this week among the guests in the TV program Lindmo, where they talk openly about the path to Braathen’s decision. GUESTS: Bjørn Braathen (left) and Lucas Braathen (right) were interviewed by Anne Lindmo. Photo: Julia Naglestad/news – It resulted in you and I having to sit down and have a proper chat. “What is happening now?”. It was the first sign that this was not working as well as one might hope. In the 2021/22 winter season, he took his first slalom victory in the World Cup, when in Wengen he climbed from 29th place to first place in the second round. Admittedly, it was a disappointing Olympics, but Braathen refers to the whole thing as a “great fun season”. – It was a fantastic winter. But I already started with these thoughts that I didn’t feel like I was somehow at home anymore. That I didn’t fit in. That there was no room to be myself. And it was a very scary conversation, he says. You can watch this week’s episode of Lindmo from 06.00 on news TV Friday or on NRK1 Friday 21.45. – Got high on fleeing On social media you could see that Braathen traveled from one place to another. An escape from something else, he says himself about that period. – I really wanted to run away. And to escape from the scary conversation I should be having with myself. I think many people recognize that, that you experience it all the time. They are hugely important to be present for. That was probably the turning point, he says. The 23-year-old continues: – I who never see my family, and then I see them in the summer for one week. And then I wasn’t present. When I was confronted with it, it was the first time I realized that something had to change. – It became clear during our conversation that you ran away from looking at yourself in the mirror, adds the father. This is the conflict between the ski stars and the Norwegian Ski Association. The Alpinists and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo are in conflict with the Norwegian Ski Association over marketing rights and the national team agreement. The conflict has been going on for several years, and mainly deals with the question of the extent to which the performers themselves are entitled to their own image rights. A statement from the Norwegian Ski Association’s legislation committee in winter 2022 gave the athletes complete victory in a dispute over image rights. It states that the athletes and NSF must agree on the extent to which the association will be allowed to use the athletes’ image rights in commercial agreements. This means that the athletes have the right to greater influence in NSF’s negotiations with sponsors. What the athletes are now waiting for is for the parties to negotiate a new national team agreement that is in line with the legislative committee’s statement in 2022. Although they have not yet signed a new contract, the athletes are subject to their previous contracts due to a clause that regulates the duration of the agreement . In September, Lucas Braathen nevertheless stood up in a campaign for a competitor to one of the Ski Association’s sponsors. It must have caused strong reactions. On 27 October, Braathen announced that he was quitting. In April, Klæbo turned down the national team. After several months of negotiations around a long-term representation agreement, it became clear this autumn that Klæbo will be able to make use of a standard representation agreement this winter. This means that he will have great commercial freedom between the World Cup weekends. Called his father: – This is no longer possible In a video published by Atomic, the ski brand that sponsors Braathen, Lucas Braathen has previously explained a little about how the decision to quit was made. There he explained that he called his father while he was in the car and said he thought “there was a new direction” ahead of him. – I had a dinner with a very good friend, who is very close to me. It was the first time I gave an outlet for the thoughts and feelings I had about it, without saying what it was I was actually considering, he says. – After that dinner, I get in the car and then I drive and call dad. It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud, that I’m considering this now. – What did you say then? – This is no longer possible. It doesn’t work for me. Father Bjørn says he then realized that it wasn’t working out so well for his son. – It was very easy for me to see that “no, I think you’re absolutely right, this is not for you, you can’t be like that.” – That’s why it was really easy, although in a way it’s very sad. FATHER AND SON: Bjørn Braathen and Lucas Braathen during the latter’s press conference in Sölden. Photo: Gabriele Facciotti / AP Reveals offers Lucas Braathen has for a long time made it clear that, among other things, fashion and music are some of the things that interest him. In the process of what will shape his life after his skiing career, he refers to it as floating. – And you don’t quite know where you’ll land yet? – No. I dared to make this choice because I knew that I have spent so much energy, time and love on my other interests, says Braathen, and reveals that he has already received several offers around the way forward. – I have received offers from everything from being a creative director for brands within fashion, to being an ambassador and I have received three offers for college scholarships in the USA. For my part, I’m a bit “all over the place” now, but the only thing I know is that I will go for what I think will make me the happiest.
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