TORINO: Alpine: Q and A with Kjetil Andre Aamodt on Miller, medals and skiing's evolution

TORINO: Alpine: Q and A with Kjetil Andre Aamodt on Miller, medals and skiing’s evolution On Nov. 23, 1989, a focused young Norwegian named Kjetil Andre Aamodt raced his first World Cup race ever, finishing fifteenth at the Park City giant slalom. On Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006, Aamodt won his eighth Olympic medal at the super G in Sestriere. At the post-race news conference, he said he sometimes gets tired of the training and inspecting involved with being that good for that long, but he said he never gets tired of the feeling of looking up at a scoreboard and realizing he had a good race. Ski Racing’s Nathaniel Vinton interviewed Aamodt last month at the Lauberhorn, on the day of Bode Miller’s unusual public apology, and here is what the Norwegian veteran was thinking that day.

Ski Racing: In the years that you were No. 1, how did you manage the pressure?
Kjetil Andre Aamodt: I just tried to be myself and give something to everybody, and be polite and humble. You always have to consider what you say to the press for sure. You cannot just say what you want. But you can’t make everybody love you. It’s not possible. I guess you asked me this question about Bode Miller and all the press about his statements.

SR: What do you think about that?
KAA I think it’s a good thing that people are different and have different opinions, and say what they mean without getting their head cut off. Sometimes you also have to think about being a role model and about what those statements can mean to a younger generation.

SR: How would it be to win the downhill at the Olympics?
KAA: That’s the only gold medal I’m missing, so that’s what the press says that’s the only gold I miss. Of course it would be great, but I am living a great life, and I enjoy racing, and it’s not only about one gold medal.

SR: How have you stayed in the sport so long?
KAA: Every career has ups and downs, and its when it goes down that you become a better person…champions are the ones who come back again. People who do it once and don’t come back again, they probably don’t have a good love for the sport.

SR: Why does Ghedina’s 1997 course record at the Lauberhorn still stand?
KAA: Before Haneggschuss and after, there are more turns. That’s why 97 is the course record with Ghedina. Now we are way slower. It’s not because we are bad skiers. We’re always skiing faster and faster, and now they have to make [the course] with more turns. Because of the equipment mostly. Especially with slalom and GS in the last couple years. It’s more turny. If you had the old equipment and tried to ski these courses it would be really bad.