Olympics

Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games competitors Liam Liljenborg and Elliot Westlund are not only aiming to be among the best Alpine skiers in the world. The Swedish pair are also targeting global success in their summer sports.

So far, the signs are promising.

On Monday, Liljenborg (pictured above), who has had success as an international crossfit athlete, claimed YOG bronze in the men’s Alpine combined.

Two days later, teammate Westlund came close to adding a Gangwon 2024 giant slalom medal (he fell at the final gate of the second run with at least a silver medal in his grasp) to the water skiing Under-17 World Championships jump silver he won in Chile last year.

Both are still targeting glory on the snow, in the Gangwon 2024 men’s slalom (Thursday) and mixed team event (Friday). But once spring comes, they will turn their attention elsewhere.

“At the end of May I will head to Florida for a two-week water skiing training camp and some competition,” Westlund said. “Then it will be back for the European Junior Championships.

“The plan is to do both for as long as possible. When it’s winter my favourite is Alpine skiing and when it’s summer, it’s water skiing.

“Both have a lot of adrenaline in them but maybe jump in water skiing I get a bit more excited because it’s so much adrenaline. It’s just an amazing feeling to be in the air for so long.

“By doing water skiing I can really get my head into pushing more and wanting to go faster on the slopes. It also helps me to get my head off Alpine skiing for a while and focus on something else and really get a break. Then when I am back on Alpine skiing I am really hungry again.”

Full article at olympics.com.

Update: Westlund went on to secure two silver medals, one in the men’s slalom event, and another in the mixed team parallel event.