news meets the jumper after another day of training jumping in Planica. So far, the competitions have been delayed, after being relegated to the normal slope, the team competition and the mixed team competition. Coach Christian Meyer had happy words after the session, but the response was disappointing. “Perhaps a beautiful day,” said Opseth dryly. It is not easy to be an athlete when you do not believe in yourself. Opseth is a person of feelings, a thinker and a perfectionist, but now the move has made his head dark. – I don’t think I mean anything, because my results are bad, says Opseth openly to news. She has to stop. Now the tears are flowing. SORRY: Silje Opseth. Photo: Pia Rivelsrud / news For the past week, Opseth has slept five hours a night. – I wish there was a switch I could press, so I could have some peace and quiet to relax. My head is spinning and I have hardly slept since I came down here, she says. The thought gives her anxiety, but she holds out hope for going home and ending the season. Struggle with self-esteem Tankane started in earnest after the World Cup race in Japan in January. By then the season had been full of swings, and she had to take a breather to try to get back on track. The goal before the season was, despite everything, to become more stable. – I just went and stomped in my own shit, and most wanted to stop and cut the season short, she says. She is devastated, and unsure whether she should be in the WC at all. – I have asked myself tens of thousands of times why I am here. Three weeks ago I went and feared that this was going to happen, and then it happened, says Opseth, and adds: GRUBLANDE: Silje Opseth at a press conference in Kranjska Gora. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – I had no desire to go here. She is extremely strict with herself. All her life she has set extremely high goals. – I’m not very good at talking myself up, and especially when things are going badly, I’m very good at talking myself down, says Opseth and adds. – It is the worst enemy I have. I often stand in my own way, because I want to make every smallest detail perfect. In addition, she can’t keep her emotions in check, and she gets a bad conscience from being in a bad mood. That’s not how she wants to be towards her teammates. – I just can’t hide it, and that makes it even worse, she says. A LOT OF TRAINING, LITTLE COMPETITION: Opseth stretches outside the hotel in Kranjska Gora. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB Important lesson The time at home before the World Cup helped to ease the mind. She gave herself peace of mind and time to do what gave her energy. At that time she understood an important part of herself. – Talking out is a barrier for me. Most of all, I want to shut everyone out and close myself in my own head when I encounter adversity. But when it all comes down to it, it’s better for me and those around me if we actually talk about it, says Opseth. Endless conversations with trainers and mental coach Anders Meland have given her techniques to relax. – I have to accept that the thoughts come, and not actively go in to change them. But I don’t know how many times they have told me in the last few days that I am worth something, and that I am an important part of the team, she says. Among other things, she has been told to focus on things that can steal attention, so that she gets some time off. – It could be thinking about how the bindings are put together at the top, or analyzing that tree over there, she explains and points. One thought motivates Opseth denies that she is burnt out in any way, even though there is little from sport that gives her energy at the moment. – That is what is most frustrating. Actually, I feel that my body is ready to ski well. The legs look fine, the body looks fine, it’s just the head that does most of the work for me, she says. – Are you afraid that it will never come off? – I am quite sure that it is only a period. The offensiveness I have shown in Storbakken in the past, it does something to me that I struggle to put into words. It lights a spark in me, and that’s why I think I can find a solution to this, says Opseth, and continues: – It’s what makes me still here, the little hope at the end of the tunnel. HAS FAITH INSIDE: Silje Opseth will not give up on her goals. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Biggest danger Mental trainer Anders Meland explains that it is normal for athletes to link self-confidence to performance, and that the natural reaction is to become disappointed and downcast, and then start to doubt. CLOSE ON: Anders Meland has worked closely with the mares for several years. Photo: Olympiatoppen – If you go for a long time with such thoughts, you can gradually wonder if you are good enough as a person, or if people like me even if I don’t perform, says Meland to news. An important trick he has for handling the thoughts is simply to accept that they come. – The first thing is not to get out of it. This is natural to feel, and one should try to put it into words. Then I recommend not marinating in your thoughts, but reflect with high quality, says Meland. What one absolutely should not do is make big choices in difficult periods. – You don’t need to move all the stones. The danger is that you start to change things that are in order. It is not when you are at your worst that you should consider whether to end a relationship or a sports career, he says. National team coach Christian Meyer has no doubt that this period will make Opseth stronger. – I think that she will get better in the WC in Trondheim, as a result of this. And then she can get a boost at the end of the championship. It doesn’t take much, and then the mood is in place again, says Meyer to news. On Tuesday, Opseth will skip qualification for the big hill race in the WC at 18.30. You can watch it on news or news TV. SUPPORT: National team coaches Christian Meyer and Silje Opseth. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB
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– I don’t think I matter – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
