Norwegian eyes glory, greater recognition for para athletes

Norway's Jesper Pedersen is gearing up for a gold rush at the upcoming Beijing Winter Paralympics.

The 22-year-old won a gold and a bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and is hopeful of even more success on the slopes of the National Alpine Skiing Centre in Yanqing.

"I want to be able to fight for gold medals in every discipline. I have to ski really fast to be able to do that," Pedersen told Xinhua during a break in training at Yanqing on Sunday.

Pedersen was born with spina bifida, but encouraged by his father, took up skiing－as is the norm for kids in Norway.

Despite the obvious difficulties he had to overcome, Pedersen, who skis while seated, maintained a simple mantra in his bid to become an elite athlete: "With enough training, you can do anything."

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Pedersen won gold in the men's giant slalom sitting event and bronze in the super combined.

"Nobody knew me when I went to (South) Korea but when I got back everybody did. The TV coverage from Pyeongchang 2018 was good in Norway, so lots of people wanted a chat," he said.

"It was pretty cool. Everyone knows me in my hometown anyway, but now I'm the guy with a gold medal. They think,' Whoa!" he added.

His preparations for Beijing 2022 were affected by personal loss in November 2020 when his father Bjorn passed away from a heart attack.

In January 2022, Pedersen won gold in the sitting downhill at the world championships in Lillehammer, Norway, and afterward dedicated the victory to his late father.

"He can take a large part of the credit for that win. I would not be where I am today without him. The gold is in his honor. I have him with me in my mind all the time," said the Norwegian.

Pedersen campaigns for greater rights for athletes with disabilities.

In January, in an attempt to raise awareness of the difference in earnings between para-skiers and their able-bodied counterparts, he auctioned 5 kilograms of cheese that he had received as a prize at a World Cup event in Switzerland. The winning bid was 50,000 Norwegian kroner ($5,670).

"It was a stunt, but the response was incredible. I did it mostly to shed light on the topic.

"People who were not aware that there was such a great difference now think it is wrong that I do not receive a single krone, while able-bodied skiers can get 600,000 kroner for winning a race.

"I try to increase the awareness of the differences that exist. We need attention so that people will open their eyes to us."

After the 2022 world championships, Pedersen trained for two weeks in Norway before arriving in China on Friday.

"It is really nice to be here. It's a really cool place and I'm looking forward to the races," he said of his early impressions of China.

Pedersen is also a student of political science at the University of Oslo. He told Xinhua that he wants to find a job when he retires from skiing, although he plans to continue skiing recreationally for the rest of his life.

"I've been skiing all my life and it is a big part of who I am," Pedersen said.

"It is really nice to remain part of society and be together with the able-bodied athletes."

Xinhua