Jasey-Jay Anderson on the road to his 7th Olympic Games

Jasey-Jay Anderson tells us he plans to participate in his 7th Olympic Games! We spoke with him to find out how he is approaching this new challenge.

You are announcing to us today that you intend to participate in your 7th Olympic Games. When did you decide to go back?

It’s mostly since spring that I have been thinking about it seriously and with the craze associated with summer games I feel driven even more. With the pandemic it is certainly not obvious, but I hope that the vaccines and health measures will help the situation.

For the past ten years I have focused more on perfecting the equipment. Now, I want to end by focusing on the result. At 46, I no longer have the luxury of just focusing on development. I must put more importance on everything around it.

What is your road to the Olympics like?

We have to start with the World Cups. I am aiming for a top 8 minimum, but ideally, I would like to reach one or two podiums to solidify my position in the team and be best prepared for the Olympics. When you make a podium, you know you are heading in the right direction in your pre-Olympic preparation.

The sport has evolved a lot. We used to do Giant Slalom and Super G. In the past, I also did 10 years of Bordercross. Now I am focusing only on the parallel giant slalom.

You will be one of the oldest athletes in Beijing in 2022. Do you think your age will be an added challenge?

It’s a big challenge to be the oldest. Sometimes it’s even embarrassing! My career justifies it, however. I had different reasons each time I did the Olympics and different ways of approaching them. As long as you have good motivation and a good sense of belonging, it’s important to follow your heart.

I also see it as a scientific experiment. See how much you can push sport and competition with age. It’s one thing to compete at my age, it’s another thing to win. It’s interesting to see how I was in the races when I was 20 versus today. Over time, my training has changed completely. Now I can’t take a break anymore because it’s too long to start again.

What kind of physical training do you do in preparation for the competition season?

I have realized over the years that training with heavy weights to gain mass is bad for my races. I even noticed that if I focused more on muscle, it could take me almost a week to recover from an airplane trip. Besides, it is harmful to the joints, especially at my age, this kind of physical work.

I rather practice other sports, such as hiking, paddleboarding, cycling, kayaking… It works the body in different places. I also jog at least 5 times a week. But the key is in the stretching. I spend a lot of time on it. After each exercise it’s lots and lots of stretching. This is important for any athlete, but even more so with slightly older muscles.

You say you have different reasons for each participation. What are they for 2022?

The development I have done over the past 10 years has been extremely productive and here I want to put it into practice. I feel like I’m not at the end of my rope, but it’s coming. I have accumulated so much knowledge over the years that I want to tap into it.

In terms of your equipment, you’ve made a lot of changes over the years. Are you going to modify again this year?

There won’t be a lot of gear adjustments. Of course, there are always little things to deal with; the shape, the components, the more complex stuff is to my taste. There will be some “fine-tuning” such as the height of the bindings and the stiffness of the boots. I always bring about six boards with me and choose my gear according to my destination. If this is a mountain that is known to have a lot of snow, steeper pitch and other terrain features.

As an athlete heading towards their 7th Olympics, do you have any advice for those who are competing in their first?

Not to put too much pressure on yourself! You could do several more haha!

There are those who go to the Olympics for the unique experience, to savor the opportunity to be surrounded by extraordinary talent. I have always seen it as a job. You’re going to have it for your event, your day. Going to see other events distracted me. I was focusing on why I was there and my hunger to perform at my best.

How did your entourage react when you announced a return to competition?

My family and friends were very encouraging. When I hesitated, most people would tell me, “If you can, do it! “,” Don’t miss out! », « No regrets! “… Those who have missed out on chances in life realize that you must take the chance when it is there. It’s about finding inner strength at the end of the day. All this encouragement, helped me find that inner flame.

This leads me to say “Seize the day! “. Enjoy the day-to-day life. The pandemic has put many things in perspective for me, even competition. Before the pandemic I saw it more as a burden, now I really see it as an opportunity.