Gunn-Rita Dahle: The resilient one

Resting on your laurels? Basking in the glow of medals? For Gunn-Rita Dahle, that's out of the question. Even as a 40-year-old, the Norwegian mountain biker is going all out for podium finishes. When Gunn-Rita Dahle was asked which top athlete she would like to dine with, she promptly replied: "Roger Federer". Not because she is a particularly passionate tennis fan, but above all "because I am always deeply impressed by the way Roger Federer is always able to concentrate on the important things in life and in sport.

from Mac Huber

The two would certainly have a lot to talk about over dinner. Like Roger Federer, Gunn-Rita Dahle is in the autumn of her career. And like the Swiss superstar, the resilient Norwegian is still setting new records. She has already become world champion eight times, four times in cross-country, four times in marathon. And with two more triumphs last year, she has increased the number of World Cup victories to 28 and thus caught up with record holder Julie Furtado (USA), whose record from the 1990s seemed to last forever.

The return to the top 3
And Gunn-Rita Dahle has not had enough yet. This season, the exceptional athlete is striving for more titles, more World Cup victories. Last season, she impressively proved that she is still one of the top cracks at the age of 40. She became European champion for the sixth time and won the silver medal at the World Championships in both cross-country and marathon. And if she hadn't fallen at the London Olympics and been thrown out of the decision for precious metal due to defects, she could have decorated herself with another medal - eight years after her triumph in Athens. Dahle finished second in the overall World Cup behind France's Julie Bresset, and she moved up to third in the UCI world rankings. "Gunn-Rita is back", headlined the Norwegian newspaper Aftonbladet.

Read the full article in the 02/2013 issue.
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