SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) 鈥� Snowboarding. Skiing. And now windsurfing, too?
already pulled off a stunning feat at the 2018 Winter Olympics when she claimed golds in two different sports 鈥� and 鈥� in Pyeongchang.
The could be up next for the multi-talented Czech athlete.
Ledecka has already competed in the Defi Wind competition in France and she might be tempted to take a crack at qualifying in windsurfing for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. since she was 5.
鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 more of a hobby,鈥� Ledecka said, noting that windsurfing qualifying races take place all over the world 鈥� even during the northern hemisphere鈥檚 winter. 鈥淚 am quite busy in the winter. 鈥� But yeah, why not?鈥�
In , the class used at the Olympics, sailors fly off the water pushing speeds well above 20 knots (37 kph or 23 mph), their boards lifted by a foil in regattas that last about 10 minutes.
Ledecka, naturally, likes to . It鈥檚 the perfect summer training for her snow sports.
鈥淓specially for my snowboarding, it鈥檚 really cool for balance,鈥� she said, adding that she also spends time kickboxing, biking, wakeboarding and water skiing in the offseason. 鈥淭his all gives me a sense of the movement which I鈥檓 using on the skis as well.
鈥淚 sense so much freedom in windsurfing because there鈥檚 only the wind and me and my equipment,鈥� Ledecka said, before outlining her preferred summer routine: 鈥淚 do all my physical training in the morning before lunch and then I just windsurf until the night.鈥�
Dozens of athletes have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, including American hurdler Lolo Jones in track and bobsled. even won gold medals in each in different events, first in boxing at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics and then in bobsledding at the 1932 Lake Placid Games.
Ledecka鈥檚 variety of training methods could pay off this week when she鈥檒l compete in the super-G and the downhill at the Alpine skiing world championships. She won the super-G at last season鈥檚 World Cup finals in Saalbach.
She's also lodging an appeal to the International Olympic Committee to change the dates of one of her competitions at next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics so she can compete in both. The snowboarding parallel giant slalom and the women鈥檚 downhill in skiing are scheduled to take place on the same day in different resorts hours apart.
So are there any sports that Ledecka doesn鈥檛 excel at?
鈥淚鈥檓 really terrible at golf and also I don鈥檛 really enjoy it because it鈥檚 really slow,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 probably really bad in football (soccer), too. 鈥� When I try a new sport, I鈥檓 terrible at it usually, but that kind of motivates me and I am trying so hard until I make it and learn something new. But I鈥檓 terrible at sports. I mean, it鈥檚 weird to say, but I鈥檓 terrible. I mean, I鈥檓 pretty good in some, like when it鈥檚 a gliding sport, like when I can ride on something then it鈥檚 good.鈥�
Ledecka's father, Janek, is a popular singer in the Czech Republic, and she recently recorded a Christmas song with a friend of her dad's.
鈥淭hat was terrible,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n music and the arts and everything is so complicated. 鈥� (In sports) it鈥檚 quite clear. No matter how you look or what you do, just be fast.鈥�
Still, she might do another song with her brother.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a comic book artist and he (designs) my suits and helmets. And he also has a band. So I was thinking one day we would like to do a song together,鈥� Ledecka said.
But between the snowboarding, skiing and windsurfing, Ledecka鈥檚 career as a recording artist is on hold for now.
鈥淢ick Jagger is now like 80 or something like that,鈥� Ledecka said of the Rolling Stones lead singer, who is actually 81. 鈥淵eah, I have time.鈥�
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AP skiing:
Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
