Bertagna says goodbye: “I would have done it differently”

In hardly any other sport has South Tyrol been as dependent on a single athlete as in freestyle. Whenever there was success to report, Silvia Bertagna was always responsible for it. Now, after almost a decade in the World Cup, it's over. The 35-year-old ended her career last week where it all began over nine years ago: on February 8, 2013, Bertagna competed in her first World Cup race in Silvaplana. 45 competitions, nine podium places and one victory later, things have now come full circle in the canton of Graubünden.

With Bertagna, an athlete leaves the stage who can definitely be described as a pioneer in her sport. She took her first steps in freestyle when there was no women's world cup yet. This was only introduced in 2012 – when Bertagna was already 26. Since then, the spectacular sport has experienced a real boom. The number of participants and the level have increased incredibly. Athletes from all over the world are at the top. And at the Olympic Games in Beijing, the freestylers, who were once labeled as exotic, received unprecedented attention - not least thanks to the Chinese Eileen Gu. Bertagna is proud “Being part of this world right from the start makes me proud,” says Bertgana: “Many girls who are now getting involved in sport tell me that I give them a lot of motivation because I never let up and always fought my way through “This makes her realize that she has achieved something in freestyle – far from the pure results.

Because the body, and especially the knees, had stopped playing along in recent seasons, retirement was now unavoidable. The South Tyrolean once again enjoyed the last race in Silvaplana with 18th place. “If I'm honest, I had a bit of a strange feeling. On the one hand, it didn't matter what result I achieved. On the other hand, the sun was shining and the park was perfectly prepared. And so I wanted to deliver a good performance despite everything. When the first run didn't work, I used the second run to say goodbye with three easy jumps," reports Bertagna, who then felt the whole load was lifted. "It was nice." “I was in too much of a hurry.” Silvia Bertagna When the 35-year-old looks back on her career, she doesn't remember a particular moment, but rather the entire career path. “We live in a small world, we all know each other, we are friends and we enjoy our successes. There is a special climate. I think that it's special and it doesn't exist like that everywhere," emphasizes Bertagna, who adds: "Of course, only races represent a nice memory, but ultimately the atmosphere is what's special." But the woman from Val Gardena would do one thing differently if she would have the chance to do so. “After my first injury, the torn cruciate ligament in 2016, I was in too much of a hurry. Maybe then the problems I had recently would never have arisen. More patience would have been appropriate.” future in business Despite the physical scars, she still loves the sport. “That’s why I definitely want to stay in touch with the sport. I want to give something back to the boys. I don't know exactly how to do this yet, but I would really enjoy working with young girls. Especially since there are still very few who practice freestyle sport,” emphasizes Bertgana, who has already made plans privately. “My mother ran our business in Ortisei in recent times so that I could be an athlete. Now I’m working and she can retire,” the cheerful person concludes with a smile.

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Bertagna says goodbye: “I would have done it differently”

A few days ago Silvia Bertagna completed her last competition in Silvaplana (Switzerland). Now the grande dame of local freestyle sport looks back on her eventful career.

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