BEIJING (AP) 鈥� A freak of nature. A beast. Ironman. The Arnold Schwarzenegger of skiing.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has been called each of those names and more for his unusually high ability to withstand pain and set lifting records in the weight room.
It鈥檚 a big part of what makes the Norwegian the favorite for gold in the Olympic downhill on Sunday.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always been like that,鈥� teammate Kjetil Jansrud said. 鈥淔or all the years that he鈥檚 been on the team he鈥檚 been the leading star when it comes to this whole kind of physical side of our training. 鈥� That gives him an advantage. He has a different reserve energy.鈥�
It also gives Kilde鈥檚 massive, sculpted legs the muscles necessary to power through the most difficult turns on downhill courses while maintaining an aerodynamic tuck. Where gravity pushes lesser skiers low and off the racing line, Kilde digs in and holds steady 鈥� earning the payoff for those excruciatingly painful extra sets of repetitions over the summer.
Bench pressing more than 300 pounds (nearly 150 kilograms) with a max squat of nearly 500 pounds (220 kilograms), Kilde鈥檚 strength is legendary in skiing circles.
鈥淜ilde is a freak of nature,鈥� Norway team physical trainer Daniel Tangen said. 鈥淗e dominates physical training. He鈥檚 the perfect athlete. He is incredibly strong in every aspect. Also, his endurance and power and anaerobic power is beyond me.鈥�
Kilde鈥檚 affinity for intense workouts helped him quickly return to perfect shape after tearing his ACL during a training crash a year ago. He documented one such workout with his girlfriend, women's overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin, .
Then there was the time he shared of himself pulling a massive set of weights across the floor with a rope, and a back in 2020.
No wonder he鈥檚 been a force in both downhill and super-G on the World Cup circuit this season, winning three races in each discipline.
A former overall World Cup champion, one of the few things that Kilde has not won, however, is a medal at a major championship. That seems destined to change over the coming days at the Beijing Games.
鈥淚 definitely feel some pressure," Kilde said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 nothing different than other races, because it鈥檚 been a lot of pressure throughout the year with good results from race to race. It鈥檚 been a great season and I have felt pressure from the outset 鈥� from the outside and also from myself.鈥�
After leading the second downhill training session Friday, Kilde is in position to give Norway a second consecutive victory in skiing鈥檚 biggest race after the now-retired Aksel Lund Svindal and Jansrud went 1-2 in Pyeongchang four years ago.
鈥淲ell, he鈥檚 strong enough to do it, obviously,鈥� Jansrud said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 had a great season and I would say the pressure is on him. But he鈥檚 handled that great during the World Cup season. I don鈥檛 think it will be any (problem) now. He鈥檚 ready to defend the honors.鈥�
Jansrud, a five-time Olympic medalist, had declared his season over after damage was detected to the cruciate ligament in his knee following a crash in Colorado in December. But he made a quick recovery and came to Beijing 鈥� albeit not in top form.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like there鈥檚 that much downhill in the body,鈥� Jansrud said after missing a gate in training and finishing nearly four seconds behind Kilde. 鈥淚鈥檝e been out so long that I kind of lack the speed (and) the power.鈥�
On a course that no racers had ever been on before because of the pandemic, there鈥檚 been speculation that an outsider or younger racer could do well. But Kilde believes his current form 鈥� not to mention his physique 鈥� make him better prepared for the new test than anyone else.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in shape you handle things differently than when you鈥檙e not,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I feel confident and I鈥檓 ready to go.鈥�
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Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf
Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
