Aamodt, then and now

ByEurosport

Published 24/05/2006 at 07:33 GMT

For its 150th edition, Eurosport's Olympic Magazine caught up with its very first guest, Norwegian skier Kjetl-Andre Aamodt. The man who's won more Olympic medals than any other winter athlete told us of the knee injury that nearly made him miss out on hi

From his success the Super-G in 1992 in Albertville to his eighth Olympic medal in Torino 14 years later, Aamodt has defied the odds.

So what's changed since we first caught up with him in June 1993?

"I think about 13 kilos. That's the biggest difference. I weighed something like 80 kilos. Now, I weight 93.

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"I am more experienced but I still have the same hunger and desire for the sport I think. But, when I was 20, I was thinking the Olympic Games were not important. I was more focused on the World Cup tour. But, after a while, I understood that the championships are what you will remember the most and cherish the most."

ALPINE SKIING 2005-2006 Torino 2006 Norwege Aamodt

Image credit: dpa

On the eve of the Turin Games, the Oslo native's life was disrupted to say the least when, on the morning of the Super-G in Kitzbühel, Aamodt rushed home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

"It was a great experience. But it was hard to go to Garmisch the following week".

Aamodt admits he thought about skipping the Games, but made the right decision.

"I kept to the programme and came to the Olympics well prepared and I knew that my wife and my daughter had enough help and that she was well at home. I felt that I was really in a position to win another medal".

KIDDIE SLOPES AFTER KNEE BOTHER

Then in the downhill, he hurt his knee on the first jump, missing the podium by 6/100ths of a second.

He withdrew from the combined to rest before the Super-G.

"I said I would run the Super G for sure, it would be my last event. So, I would race despite the pain. Actually, I did not ski at all during the week. I skied on children's slopes just to check a little.

ALPINE SKIING 2005-2006 Torino 2006 Norwege Aamodt

Image credit: dpa

"It was snowing, there was a restart. But for me it did not matter. I am used to that. I am experienced. I was just thinking "I am a wounded animal. I am an underdog". Then you attack even more. Maybe that injury helped me to win that gold medal even though it was a little painful when I started the race. I kicked out. I was so focused on the race.

"I did not feel anything when I was skiing. So, when I came to the finish I did not see any time. "Am I last?" Then I saw I was leading. It was... you can become religious for less than that. Why did that happen to me again? To be able to win and defend my title from 2002 and to win the Super G gold medal and the fourth overall time in the history of the sport.

"So, a lot of great things happened on that day and it is always nice to write your name in history books. Very few athletes can do that so... I am really happy".

Watch the 150th edition of Eurosport's Olympic Magazine Wednesday at 17:30 (rebroadcast Thursday at 8:30am).

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