“Let’s stop focusing on how our bodies look.” That was the main message in a post Virginia de Martin Topranin posted on Instagram on August 30. In this interview with news, the 36-year-old opens up about his background. The former Italian cross-country skier says she had a completely natural relationship with her body as a child. But when she was selected for the junior national team at the end of her teenage years, something happened. – I had maybe a few kilos more than I should have as an athlete, and then there were some coaches who said that the only thing you can do to ski faster is to lose weight. It changed the relationship I had with my body, she says. GOOD SKIER: Virginia de Martin Topranin went to both the WC and the Olympics, but never reached the world’s highest peak in cross-country skiing. Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB The other girls on the team received the same message. Virginia didn’t react. – I thought they were right. They were my role models, so I did it, she says. – What did you do? – I ate much less than before and exercised more. Measured on the scale The effect in the short term was that she skied a little faster. At the age of 18, she came 16th in the Junior WC, one minute behind world champion Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. But there was also a side effect. Virginia lost her period – for a long time. – Ten years. Yes, it’s horrible, she says seriously. – Did you ever reflect that it was problematic not to menstruate? – Yes, many times. I felt it was not good at all. Every time she came to a meeting, she had to get on the scale. Looking back, she describes the feeling before the weigh-in as “miserable”. Virginia eventually took it up with the sports doctor. And got an answer: – Because you are an athlete, so it is normal not to have your period. NEW HABITS: Throughout her cross-country career, Virginia was keen not to eat too much. Now the focus is on eating enough. Discouraging message From what the coaches and doctor said, she accepted that it was a price she had to be willing to pay to succeed as an athlete. At the same time, she carried a constant, and not unfounded, worry. – There was a period when the gynecologist said: You probably won’t have children, she says. In the period from 2010 to 2018, she ran 132 World Cup races. She also participated in both the WC and the Olympics. But the cross-country career never took off. Eighth place was her best individual result. A body that rarely received enough nutrition was never able to conjure up extraordinary performances on the trail. The 38th place in her last World Cup competition in January 2018 was representative of the level she reached. Egg donor A year later, she gave up and started another project: Getting her body back on track. – When I quit, luckily it was a friend who is a doctor who said that “you have to do something about it now”. I received very good help from her and other doctors. And then I got my period back, says Virginia. FEELS LUCKY: Virginia was warned she might never be able to have children. Now she is an egg donor. Photo: @VIRGINIADEMARTIN/INSTAGRAM Other Norwegian women get to benefit from it. Virginia, who is now a doctoral student at NTNU in Trondheim, has become an egg donor. – It was a bit random. I was with a gynecologist at a fertility clinic and saw a poster, and then I thought that it is something I have actually wanted to do for many years. But I couldn’t before, plus donating eggs is not allowed in Italy. So I thought “now I’m going to do it”, she says smiling. – It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. It has given me so much, she adds. Didn’t like her new body Virginia de Martin Topranin is happy that her body did not suffer permanent damage. But she admits that it has also been difficult to accept that it is the body she has now that is healthy, not the one she did top sports with. – I have gained quite a lot of weight compared to before, and for a period I didn’t like it at all, she says bluntly. – Why not? – Because I got used to a certain body. And I felt that I wasn’t as “fit” as before. I couldn’t wear the same clothes as before. And then I felt it wasn’t right for me. It was just my head that couldn’t accept it. But now it’s finally going perfectly fine. – Were you unsure whether you wanted to have a healthy body? – Yes, it took quite a while for me to understand that I wanted it, Virginia admits. And that is exactly why she published her appeal on Instagram, where she wrote: “I still feel uncomfortable, even ashamed and judged. I feel I have to justify how I look. And I shouldn’t, because my body has never been healthier, and because what really matters is that my body allows me to do amazing things.” HAPPY IN TRONDHEIM: Virginia is a doctoral student at NTNU and feels that the move to Norway has also helped her to accept the new version of herself. Photo: Anders Skjerdingstad / news Less condemnation As recently as on summer holiday at home in Italy this year, she experienced comments that had a negative impact. – For example, “you’re not in as good shape as before” and things like that, she says. Virginia believes that the move to Norway has been important for her. She feels there is still more body focus in her home country. – There is a little less condemnation. People talk much less about body and weight. I feel like that’s not the focus. It has helped a lot, she says. Virginia de Martin Topranin has not cut ties with sports. After she quit, she became an athlete representative in the International Ski Federation (FIS). She has also worked in the Fendura project, which researches how the menstrual cycle affects women’s physical performance. And she sees that there has been a greater awareness of the importance of good and correct nutrition in top sport. SEES CHANGE: Virginia feels there is more focus on proper nutrition in sports now than ten years ago – also in her home country of Italy. Photo: Anders Skjerdingstad / news Paying tribute to Norwegian health certificate Not least she pays tribute to the Norwegian system of health certificate and health certificate, where athletes can be refused participation in both organized training and competition if they have symptoms of malnutrition. Loss of menstruation is one of the factors that can lead to refusal to start. – Fortunately, things are different. Something like this would not have been possible now, and especially in Norway there is a system to uncover it, points out Virginia. As a clinical nutritionist at Sunn Idrett, Kristin Lundanes Jonvik knows the Norwegian system well. Jonvik, who is also a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Sports Studies (NIH), confirms that there is every reason for concern when an athlete loses her period. – It is one of the most important signs of whether you are in energy balance or not, she says. – Can have major consequences. She explains that the loss of menstruation is a sign that the body is about to shut down important functions. – It can affect hormones, skeleton, muscle mass, immune system, stomach and intestines. Over time, it can have major consequences. Research shows that athletes who lose their periods have a four- to five-fold increased risk of fractures and fatigue fractures, says Jonvik. In addition, it can have lasting consequences for the ability to have children. – It is not impossible to reverse, but it can be demanding. It is easier to lose your period than to get it back, states the researcher. That is exactly what Virginia de Martin Topranin is very aware of. – I think I’ve just been lucky, it’s great. But at the same time, you shouldn’t wait so long to do something about what I’m doing, she acknowledges. Read more cases about body pressure and eating challenges in sport:
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Virginia lost her period for ten years – struggling to accept her healthy body – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
