José Cabeça dreams of taking his country to the top of cross-country skiing. With less than three years dedicated to the sport, this former elite triathlete is showing an improving shape and motivation towards his goal. 

In every Nordic Ski World Championships, athletes from non-traditional skiing nations like José Cabeça compete to conquer the best possible result for their countries. Many of them struggle with training, time, expenses, and logistics to be able to train for this event. But in the end, they give their maximum effort to have a good day on skis.

José Cabeça is one of these kinds of athletes. Coming from Portugal and living in Dubai, this athlete is not the usual traditional cross-country skier. 

However, he has been showing impressive development, especially considering he only started skiing in 2020.

However, over the last three years, José Cabeça was able to race two World Championships and qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics. And despite being an odd athlete, this Portuguese skier is training amongst some of the best in the world. Ragnar Bragvin Andresen, former Rollerskiing World Champion and now coach at Holmenkollen Treningslab is helping José Cabeça with his development.

After they participated in the Planica World Championships, where José Cabeça finished 22nd in the 10 km freestyle qualification race, we talked to the Portuguese athlete to know his opinion about the event, his performance, and the next steps.

After the World Championships, what are your feelings about your development as a cross-country skier?

“I am not happy about Planica’s World Championships results, despite feeling that my development as an athlete has been huge. However, I can say that the lack of experience in diverse kinds of snow is a challenge. I struggle with technique every time the conditions are not perfect.”

The 10km qualification race is usually for athletes from nations where cross-country skiing is not that traditional. What are your thoughts about it?

“I feel that the quality of the skiers competing at the qualification race has increased since the last World Championships. My coach Ragnar Bragvin Andresen has the same opinion. The athlete that won the qualification in 2021 managed to get a 40-second gap to the second position. However, this year that same athlete was 7th with a 1:40 gap to the first place. This shows how these athletes are getting stronger.”

Read More: Albert Jonsson Wins The 10km Qualification Race At The World Championships In Planica

What are your impressions about the organization of the World Championships?

“I think this edition of the World Championships was very well organized, and the venue has everything the athletes need to perform at their full potential.”

In your opinion, how could traditional cross-country skiing be developed in countries with no snow? Has FIS been giving enough attention to this?

“I do not have an opinion about that because I have never attended any training camp related to FIS or its development programs. But I believe some things can be improved. For example, the regulation of the equipment and products or the number of staff members used in competitions, so smaller nations do not start with a big disadvantage.” 

How is your cooperation with Ragnar Bragvin Andresen? And how is it to train in Holmenkollen Treningslab?

“My cooperation with Ragnar has been amazing, and we have a long-term plan that makes my development possible. I am so lucky to work with him and in his training lab, where I feel I can develop as a skier. My development has been huge, and we cannot forget that I have only been training with him for five months.”

What are your plans for the future?

My goals keep the same. The goal is not to focus on results but on my development as a skier. I want to keep working until I am among the world’s best skiers.”

“I will finish my race calendar this season with a winter triathlon in Lillehammer. After that, I will have a summer season focused on triathlon and rollerskiing.”