By Simon Jennings
YANQING, China (Reuters) – Twenty years ago, nine-year-old Sara Hector of Sweden wrote a letter to her future self.
On Monday, hours after winning a gold medal in the giant slalom at the Winter Olympics, she said it was finally time to open it.
“I remember it says that I wanted to be the world best alpinist,” the 29-year-old told reporters at the Yanqing Alpine Centre.
“I was supposed to open it in 2022. I have not been at home in 2022, but after the Olympics, I will open it. It will be exciting.
“(It said) I wanted to be really successful. I think it also said I was supposed to have three kids by now. I’ve not really arrived there yet, so there’s still a bit (left to do).”
Hector, who leads the World Cup giant slalom standings this season, was so nervous before the race that she could not eat.
“I woke up, had a little tough time to eat breakfast,” she said. “The first run went pretty fast. Then I went down to the (Olympic) Village, took a hot, long shower. I just needed to calm down a little bit.
“I went to pick up some food, struggled half-an-hour to try and get some rice in. It went really bad. I didn’t throw up, I just couldn’t eat. It grew in my mouth when I was eating.
“It was a really tough long wait until the second run. Then I just tried to give it all I got.
“I think it might have been hormones because I was so nervous and stressed and my body was on high gear. It’s built up over several days so it wasn’t good, but I think I handled it well.”
Building the mental resilience to cope in pressure situations was vital.
“I have worked so much mentally for many years and I’ve had lots of support from many people around me. It’s important to learn about your feelings to be able to manage situations with lots of pressure,” she said.
“I’ve gotten some perspective, that I do this because it’s fun. Not only because I want to be best, but because I think I really enjoy doing alpine.
“If the results aren’t good, it’s not the end of the world. Even if had missed the Olympics due to Corona, the world would not end. There’s much more in the world that’s important.”
(Reporting by Simon Jennings, additional reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
