Elvedina Muzaferija wrote her name in golden letters in the history of BiH sports. Our best skier achieved a triumph in the downhill in the Swiss Crans Montana and thus achieved her first victory in the second most powerful skiing competition in the world, the European Cup. A few days earlier, she won new points in the World Cup, also in downhill, on the famous course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Elvedina Muzaferija talks about the victory in Crans Montana, the rest of the season, how she decided to go skiing, and other things in an exclusive interview for Visit BiH Magazine.
First of all, congratulations on your win in Crans Montana. This track obviously suits you, because you won second place there last year. How does it feel to stand on the podium and listen to the BiH anthem?
-Thank you very much. The day before, the race was canceled due to bad weather, so the organizers decided to try to prepare the track for two downhills in a row in one day. In the first run, I won seventh place and 36 points. Three hours later, I was skiing even safer and better, and reached my first victory in the European Cup and another 100 points. It is also a ticket to the European Cup final. On my favorite track, you are right, the victory and the anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina, priceless! I am glad that the medal came at the time of the anniversary of the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, and I dedicated the victory to the victims of violence, above all, to women.
Your name is written in golden letters, because this is the best result for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Can we expect more successes like this in the future?
-That’s right. This is not the first time that, I do not want to sound immodest, the results speak for themselves. I have pushed the limit many times and will continue doing so. That’s my nature. People close to me know that I communicate more with actions than with words. I stick to my goals and work hard. Success is neither a post nor a story, it’s just the result of a lot of effort, and when it happens, it’s a moment I really enjoy.
More and more often, you make all skiing fans in our country happy with your performances, and we can safely say that you are the pride of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Can you tell us how come Elvedina opted for skiing, how you fell in love with this sport?
– It’s hard to describe. At first I feel unreal, then phenomenal. Media, social networks, calls, messages and everything that comes to me after historical results leaves a big mark. It’s something I fantasized about as a little girl. I was also involved in other sports for a short time, but skiing was the only thing my heart aspired to. My parents somehow “pulled” me into that love. I am where I am today and I am infinitely grateful to them.
How much effort and sacrifice is required to become a top athlete, in your case a skier?
– It is the focus that determines the lifestyle. You simply either ARE or you ARE NOT in that. There is no such a thing as willingness to do something for one day and drop everything for another, it doesn’t work that way. There are many sacrifices, I spend more than half a year away from my family. But physical and mental discipline is necessary to keep one fit and support a talent. However, I would emphasise that no matter what, with good organisation and people who love you, most sacrifices can be compensated.
Given that we are witnessing an increasing lack of snow on the ski slopes, how difficult is it to train, maintain fit and prepare for competitions?
-Mountains have always been unpredictable and the weather on the peaks changes from minute to minute. In addition, in recent years, and this season in particular, the weather has made it difficult not only for competitions, but also for training sessions, which we have been without many times. By all accounts, this will be the season with the largest number of canceled races across Europe. Also, in the summer period, when we go to the glaciers for training, it is quite uncertain how we will use that time.
When you mentioned the difficulties with training, we know that in the winter you train in the mountains, in the snow, but by that time you have to be ready for competitions. How and where do you train in the summer period, what does your training consist of?
-Skiing is a sport that requires training all 12 months both on the snow and in the gym. Fitness training is very important, because the track requires excellent physical fitness. Here I must mention my conditioning coach Edhem Eda Bajrić. After the season, there is a week of rest and preparations for the next season have already begun. During the summer, we are in the gym or at the stadium every day, once or twice, and then every month we spend 10-15 days in the snow all over Europe. We call it a vicious circle, after the season is always before the season.
Given that you have been to all the biggest ski centers in the world, can you rate our ski resorts in comparison to those ski resorts?
-Unfortunately, our mountains have many shortcomings compared to top European ski resorts. But also, with just a little effort and some changes, we will get ski resorts where you can train throughout the winter, and with that we will also get new skiers from Bosnia and Herzegovina who will compete in Europe and the World Cup.
How many races do you expect by the end of this season and can we expect new successes?
– At the moment, 10-12 races are planned, but of course we will monitor how I feel and shorten or extend the season accordingly. I hope to make Bosnians and Herzegovina happy many more times before the end of the season.
Do you have a final message?
– My message is addressed to young skiers, but also to all young athletes, to train hard and not give up at the first obstacles that appears on their way to success.
