It took a complete breakdown before the cross-country skier dared to come forward with the truth.

It was in a TV documentary earlier this year that the 23-year-old cross-country skier opened up about her sexual orientation for the first time. Now, she feels relieved.

“For the past five years, it’s been in the back of my mind day and night, and I haven’t been able to live my life. Speaking openly about it made everything much easier,” says Finnish cross-country skier Anni Lindroos in a more extended interview with Iltalehti.

Breakdown became a turning point

The warning signs had been blinking for a long time, but in May 2023, the Finnish ski star collapsed under the pressure she had placed on herself for so long. That became a turning point in her acceptance of herself for who she is.

“I thought that if I just became extremely good at skiing, then my sexual orientation wouldn’t matter,” she says.

“It felt like I was living two different lives. Only my closest circle knew about my orientation,” Lindroos says in the mini-series Sportliv.

Kept the truth quiet

Lindroos says she didn’t exactly lie about her orientation or consciously hide it. It was more that she kept quiet about it.

“If someone asked me if I was with a girl, I would say yes. I’ve often been asked if I’m with a boy, and then I’ve just said no. That way, I kept it quiet, and I never brought up the topic myself,” she says.

Lindroos feels that the conservative Finnish skiing environment is not open to discussions about what she sees as completely natural. That’s why she chose to remain silent.

“I kept quiet so I wouldn’t have to defend myself. Now, I hope I can be a role model for others in the environment because we haven’t had one until now. I know it would have been easier for me if we had,” she says and continues:

“If I had been a football player, it would have been completely different. There, hardly anyone would raise an eyebrow over a queer player.”

Struggled with sleep and health issues

Lindroos had her breakthrough when she placed fourth in the sprint at the Finnish Championships in 2022. At the start of the 2022/2023 season, she made her World Cup debut.

Shortly after, Lindroos began struggling with her health. She has had significant issues with sleep at times, which directly contributed to other physical health problems. Now, the cross-country skier feels things are starting to improve.

“The last two months, I’ve slept better. But it comes and goes. It depends a lot on how I feel and how things are going in life,” she explains.

In this context, Lindroos believes that opening up about her orientation has helped.

“I’ve become much more confident in myself over the past 2–3 years. Now, I dare to talk about it. And I feel I’ve found a good balance in life. I feel much better than I did last winter,” she says.

Got help from a mental coach

Lindroos has worked with a mental coach for five years. In the past two years, she has also sought help from a sleep specialist.

“I got various exercises I can do before bed. It’s important to be able to disconnect and avoid overthinking things all the time,” she says.

The young cross-country skier has also accepted that she will experience occasional sleep struggles.

“I will definitely experience sleep problems throughout my career and maybe for my entire life. There will be tough periods,” says Lindroos.

“But this winter, I managed to stay healthy throughout the entire race season, and I’m starting to get close to the level I had at my best.”

Aiming for a comeback

In March this year, Anni Lindroos returned to the World Cup. The sprint in Tallinn and the World Cup final in Lahti were her first races at the top level since December 2022.

“I hope to make it back onto the national team and get to race more World Cup events this coming winter. The ambition is to build a solid foundation this summer and then come back at an even higher level.”

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