Val Gardena instead of Norway: The Corona odyssey of a winter sports talent

Dejori was born in Brixen in 2002, attends the sports high school in Ortisei and is currently South Tyrol's best combined athlete. At the beginning of March she was in action at the Junior World Championships. In order to gain new inspiration at a highly respected Norwegian school, the 17-year-old decided last summer to complete a year abroad in Trondheim. We talked to her about the Scandinavian adventure, the Corona crisis and the development of Nordic combined.

Why did you decide to “emigrate” to Norway? “I have always been fascinated by this country, but the idea came to me in 2018 when I was racing in Trondheim. Norway is also the Mecca of Nordic Combined. I wanted to try something new and improve, especially on the hill, where the Norwegians are the benchmark.”

They are currently staying in their home town of Wolkenstein - and not in Trondheim. How come? “It's actually easy to explain: I was at the Junior World Championships in Oberwiesenthal, but - unlike the Norwegians - I couldn't travel back afterwards because I had previously been in Italy for four days. When my mother informed me about this, I was still in Germany - and if I'm honest, I was a little shocked."

So you still have all your luggage in Trondheim… "Yes, that's right. I only took the bare essentials with me to Oberwiesenthal. In Trondheim I shared an apartment with two Norwegian women who are now sending me my things to South Tyrol. But because the borders are closed, I still have to wait for it. But I’m more sorry that I wasn’t able to say goodbye to them and my classmates.”

Looking for new impulses in Norway: Daniela Dejori

Speaking of school: what's next there? “Luckily it's going pretty smoothly, although it's obviously a big change because I was supposed to finish the class in Norway. I'm taking the grades I received in Trondheim with me, so to speak. I can finish the school year here. Now I have to get behind it so I can catch up.”

Let's take a look into the future. At the next World Championships in Oberstdorf, medal decisions in the women's Nordic combined will take place for the first time. An incentive? "Yes, of course. Nordic combined was the last Nordic winter sport in which women could not compete for medals. The anticipation is correspondingly great.”

And finally: How do you overcome the current situation? “I was given a training plan that I follow, but I also do individual exercises. It is also important to give your body a break - especially after a long season - and to exercise alternatively, such as juggling or balance exercises.”

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Val Gardena instead of Norway: The Corona odyssey of a winter sports talent

The coronavirus has the world, people and their everyday lives firmly under control. Sport has also been on hold for weeks. The pandemic hit Daniela Dejori, South Tyrol's best Nordic combined athlete, particularly hard. In an interview with SportNews she describes her story.

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