Helene Marie Fossesholm announced that at a press conference on Tuesday, she opened up about setbacks, the road back, and future plans.

The decision was not entirely unexpected. A few days before the Norwegian national season premiere at Beitostølen over the weekend, Helene Marie Fossesholm announced that she would skip the ski races there.

The 22-year-old began the press conference on Tuesday by assuring everyone that she’s doing fine.

“It’s going well. Much better than earlier this fall. So, I won’t drop a bomb, and this is not a funeral either. So, we can set the standard from there. Now I’m enjoying myself in training and will savor the joy before jumping into ski races eventually”, she says, continuing:

“I am taking a break to recover from a setback. There have been a few punches in the face along the way, and I knew that. The road to the top is not straightforward.”

Fossesholm also expresses gratitude to those around her.

“I have received good help and tried to take time. It has been about not having a plan, training what I want, and doing other things. Being with friends, family, and those I know well. That gives me energy. Just taking a break from the skiing world and all those thoughts is very good.”

The heavy Autumn

Fossesholm is open about facing difficulties, especially in the last fall, which has been challenging for her, according to Langrenn.com.

“This fall was a bit tougher, and I also had a tough time mentally. There was a period with very little training. I was down, not quite myself. It was strange to feel that way”, she says.

“I haven’t been in a state where I have had the energy or desire to push in intervals. And that’s a bit new for me because I am someone who lives for the taste of blood in my mouth. Gasping for air in the woods is for the especially interested, but I am especially interested, absolutely. But I will listen to that too when I don’t have that desire.”

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Fossesholm explains that it’s not the first time she has faced setbacks.

“It’s no secret that in the last two years, there have been several sessions that haven’t been as enjoyable, and sometimes it’s not. There are those sessions, and sometimes you just must go through them with quality, and then it’s a session in the book, and it’s good for development. But there have been many more in the last two years where I felt that this wasn’t fun”, she says.

But even though Fossesholm has had tougher periods before, this fall has been different.

“And then comes a fall, and there are days with nice weather, and the last thing I wanted to do was go out for roller skiing or running. Then you must put your foot down, and I have done that. And it has helped a lot. In periods, I did very little. I was quite tired. The head and the body are connected. If you’re down, it’s not cheers and joy in training either, and I felt that.”

Considered retiring

Fossesholm reveals that she also considered retiring.

“I have considered it, and it’s not unnatural when things go slowly and you repeatedly get a punch in the face. I have definitely had that thought, but I have come to the same conclusion every time:

“Maybe I would be better off right now not doing cross-country skiing, but that’s why I’m taking a break and feeling the joy. I would have regretted it terribly because I’m a person who doesn’t want to give up. This is what I love the most in the world”, she says to TV2.

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It’s about the whole life

Fossesholm says that choosing to take a break from her career feels right.

“It wasn’t a difficult choice, really. I have to do what’s right for me, and I know this is the best for me now”, she says.

“It came quite gradually early this fall. I felt that ‘Beitostølen in two months, that feels quite early now,’ and that feeling didn’t disappear. Then it was a simple but still difficult choice,” says Fossesholm, elaborating:

“This is my life, and it’s like I am more than just the cross-country skier Helene. But it sometimes feels like I am just the cross-country skier Helene, but I am much more, and it’s important to remember that. I can definitely be well even if things don’t go well on the track. You have to try to separate a bit, which greatly helps.”

“I have many good people around me.”

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Indefinitely

For Fossesholm, it’s all about finding back the joy of skiing and gradually ramping up when she feels ready. When that will be, she hasn’t set a date yet, but it’s more than the World Cup premiere in Ruka that she’s skipping. The Tour de Ski is also out of the question.

“I want to ski races again, but right now, before Christmas, I’m not ready for it. I want to ski fast again, but I have to feel that I am prepared and that I really want it. I have done enough ski races in the last two years that I maybe wasn’t ready for and didn’t have the genuine joy that I have always had”, she says.

“Training joy can’t be forced. Maybe you can do it for a short time, but I plan to do this for many years, and then that training joy must come on its own.”

Although Fossesholm hopes to participate in some ski races this season, she has not made concrete plans for a comeback.

“Right now, I’m trying to think as little ahead as possible. I like to plan ahead very much, but the best for me now is to take one week at a time. The plan is to enjoy and have fun on skis. Let the ski races come when it’s time for them”, she says.

National team coach Sjur Ole Svarstad supports Fossesholm’s break decision.

“I feel that she needs a break from competition to rediscover perhaps the joy of sports, which is important to have as a foundation, he said to TV2.

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From being a star to a setback

Helene Marie Fossesholm burst onto the scene in the 2021 World Championship season, winning her first elite-level championship gold at just 19 years old, and was predicted to have a bright future in the world elite.

But then, the junior talent faced a setback in preparing for the 2022 Olympics. She returned home from the Olympics before the championship ended and did not compete in any more ski races that season.

She has struggled to find form since, and last season was not a highlight either. Fossesholm barely participated in any World Cups and did not qualify for the Planica World Championships.

Despite two subpar seasons, she was still given renewed trust by the national team leadership and is part of the elite team this season as well. But after both the summer and fall did not go as expected, Fossesholm is forced to hit the brakes again.