Anna Gasser:
“With a baby, the risk would be unimaginable for me”
Snowboard double Olympic champion Anna Gasser took a two-day break over Christmas and is now resuming her preparations for the home World Cups in Big Air in Klagenfurt (January 5) and on the Kreischberg (January 11). However, family planning will have to wait a little longer: "It would be inconceivable for me to take this risk if I had a baby."
Anna Gasser and her partner Clemens Millauer are still enjoying their freedom. The 33-year-old from Carinthia is also pleased that it won't be too long until the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.
How important is Christmas at home to you?
Anna Gasser: "Very important, I can recharge my batteries with my family. It's a luxury that the training facility on the Kreischberg is only a good hour away from home. I can sleep in my own bed, see my family, my sister, we all get together there. I was only away from home once at Christmas. That was for financial reasons. I wasn't in any of the ÖSV teams for the 2014 Olympic qualifiers, so flying home from the USA for Christmas wasn't an option. Thank God I'm now in a position where I can always afford it."
The anticipation of two home events in a row with Klagenfurt and Kreischberg must be great.
"That's really cool. And we even have three home events, because we also got a slopestyle in the Absolut Park in Flachauwinkl in March. I can't believe it, three home World Cups within an hour of where I live."
You make it clear that snowboarding is not just a contest for you, but also a lifestyle. How important is this combination to you?
"Snowboarding is not just a top sport, but also a lifestyle sport. It fascinates young people. We will definitely stay involved in snowboarding, even if we no longer compete. It might be different for a ski jumper."
Is the Anna that the public sees always the real Anna, or are there sides of yourself that you don't show?
"I think I'm always very authentic. I hope people realize that it's all real. I once said yes to a documentary with Red Bull. You see a lot of private things there. I'm rather relaxed with the media. Because snowboarding isn't exactly the biggest mainstream sport, I always associate the media with something positive, I like giving interviews. But when I do charity work or donate, for example, I don't want to tell the media. I'm not doing it to get attention, because I'm doing it for someone else. Basically, I think I've stayed pretty much the same throughout my career. I've grown up a bit, but that's a good thing."
But when I do charity work or donate, for example, I don't want to tell the media. I'm not doing it to get attention, because I'm doing it for someone else.
Anna Gasser
You've been in a relationship with Clemens Millauer, a snowboarder like you, for many years. To what extent does performance play a role in your private relationship, i.e. how good you are?
"For our relationship, it doesn't matter whether someone wins or not. But if sport is your passion and your profession, then if someone is disappointed, the other person suffers too. Or if you're in a bad mood because something doesn't work out. Then you share a little more, or maybe you understand more. You're always in as good a mood as your performance on the snowboard was. We both know how to deal with that. We're so well-rehearsed that we each know when to leave the other alone."
The 2026 Olympics are just over a year away. Is the anticipation already starting to build, or is the booklet of homework still so full that the Winter Games are coming almost too quickly?
"A bit of both. Of course I know that there's still a lot to do, even with the tricks, that I'm ahead of the game. On the other hand, I'm no longer the youngest and it's getting tougher and tougher. Riding with the youngsters at this high sporting level, I'm already pushing myself to the limit. If I had another two or three years, it would be too far away for me. Freestyle is already so professional and such a high level of performance, it's a twelve-month round-the-clock job where you can hardly afford to take a break. And your body doesn't get any younger. For me, it's good that the Olympics are coming up soon, I can still see myself over it. I'm 33, I'm already the oldest anyway. In my sport, it's inconceivable to ski for as long as in parallel sports, for example."
If you look at the start lists, you have to say that the future of the freestyle disciplines doesn't seem to be in danger.
"When I started, the density in big air was even smaller because the girls weren't yet able to jump such big jumps. In the meantime, the next generation has become so strong and the density so high. I couldn't have wished for anything better for the sport. I am delighted that we also have young talent in Austria. We have four starters in Klagenfurt. That's nice, I can give something back or be a mentor. It's a bit of a full circle for me. It's a well-rounded thing for me. I'm the oldest, but I'm very inspired by the new generation. I have full respect and now I can learn something from the young Japanese women, from the New Zealanders. I am happy with the situation. It wouldn't be good or normal if I was still unchallenged at number one after ten years."
You're still active, but for later: comebacks are all the rage at the moment, keyword Marcel Hirscher or Lindsey Vonn.
"If I stopped training for a year, I wouldn't be able to get back into it because it develops so quickly. For me, all the comebacks are unimaginable. I know what a difference it makes if I'm injured for two or three months. How long it takes me to catch up and get back on track. But we are a freestyle sport, it's hard to compare with racing. Especially with downhill, there's a lot of routine involved.
Because you've mentioned it several times. To what extent does your age affect you?
"I realize that I no longer have the same physical abilities as a 16-year-old. If I get hit once (a fall/note), my body needs more time. He's already done ten years of this sport at the highest level, which is insane anyway, where I say, thank God my body works the way it does. I'm aware that I have to train differently to a 15-year-old girl. I can use my routine, which is a plus. I know how to jump, how to turn, how to fall, when to take risks. I can incorporate all of that. But I can't have the same falls as I did when I was 15 or 16. In terms of quantity, I'm not inferior to our young girls. But I'm trying to perfect my base so that I have less risk when I take the next step. Where a girl does a seven and then says she's going to try a ten, I do a seven twenty times and when it's perfect, I try the harder trick. When I was young, I was really on the move, now the risk management is different."
You've read that the future may bring a house, family and a dog.
"I want a family, but that could be a bit later. I can still enjoy life so much now, I'm so free, and so is Clemens. We are grateful for that. It would be unimaginable for me to take this risk if I had a baby. But that's a personal decision for everyone. If I decide to start a family, I no longer want the stress of professional sport. I want to feel one hundred percent ready and not think that I've ended my career early because of it. Hopefully I'll still have time in two years, we've already planned that. 35 is actually a good age."
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