Meet Dinigeer Yilamujiang, future star of xcskiing. She lit the flame of the Olympics today – and she will light up your hearts with her track performances very, very  soon.

Meet Dinigeer Yilamujiang, future star of xcskiing. She lit the flame of the Olympics today – and she will light up your hearts with her track performances very, very soon.

Leaders, Newsfeed
Dinigeer Yilamujiang made history today - and hit world headlines - by being the one of the two athletes to light the flame of the Beijing Olympics A ton of virtual ink already was and is going to be spent highlighting the fact that a 20 year old cross-country skier has Uyghur roots ( both Uyghur and Kazakh to the best of our knowledge - but it's not something we want to dwell on). The Olympics always were and will remain a political show where one side is on offense and the other is trying to find a fault with an opponent. We just want to bring up the fact that Dini as she is affectionately known on the world circuit is one of the most talented xcskiers of her…
Read More
How much does it actually cost to prepare an Olympic champion? We talk to the man in the know

How much does it actually cost to prepare an Olympic champion? We talk to the man in the know

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
Markus Cramer needs no introduction. A "doyen du corps" of the international cross country skiing coaches " guild", the German specialist had a great career spanning decades with different national teams, Olympic gold medals under his belt and is currently at his 6th Winter Olympic Games. Who would be better placed to talk about the simple yet complicated for many question: How much does it cost to prepare an athlete who has a chance to win medal at the Olympics? "... Ah, it depends on many, many factors, of course, smiles Marcus, - but if you want to be serious and count everything - a minimum 150.000 euros needs to be budgeted. Per person, per season. To win, to have a realistic chance at the Olympic gold, an athlete absolutely…
Read More
Master of nebulas and galaxies: Francesco De Fabiani and his astrophotography

Master of nebulas and galaxies: Francesco De Fabiani and his astrophotography

Newsfeed, Trivia
==================================== Francesco 's astrophotography kit: -Celestron 1400 Edge HD -ZWO ASI2600MC-Color(cooled) -SONY A7SII (astromodified) ===================================== Starry, starry night... We found the right spot to talk: Aurora Borealis was raging in the night skies of Northern Finland even if our conversation was about much deeper space. Introducing Francesco De Fabiani, one the leaders of the Italian team - and a keen photographer: "....The astrophotography is my hobby. It all began some 1.5 years ago - and the Covid pandemics was the main reason: I had to styr at home for a month, there was a total lockdown in our part of Italy and I was looking for something to occupy myself. I was always passionate about photography but astrophotography was something entirely new. I started by buying a telescope, the type…
Read More
Let’s talk about Zihi. Because their motto is Best training plan is one you can do – and we dig that attitude

Let’s talk about Zihi. Because their motto is Best training plan is one you can do – and we dig that attitude

Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting
...So, you came home from work totally exhausted and instead of planned 20k out in a rain you just want to eat Pringles in front of TV? Yes, you can! Because your coach adopts to your current moods and desires - yet promises to prepare you for your race the best way possible. Sounds too good to be true,right? But that's what folks who are behind a startup called Zihi are promising - or so we understood. Except that the " coach " here is a fancy algorithm, utilising the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML). Down below you find a record of a long remote chat with the guys behind Zihi ( they are based in Madison, Wisconsin). We are not big fans of long interviews…
Read More
Davos where top talent congregate this week

Davos where top talent congregate this week

Leaders, Newsfeed
World's best playground this week is in Davos, Switzerland. The Swiss resort is practically oozes raw power. Except that this week it not about world's richest and most powerful - it's about fittest and best looking [caption id="attachment_18849" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex Bolshunov looks concentrated. He won 15k F in Davos last year [/caption] [caption id="attachment_18851" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johannes Klaebo [/caption][caption id="attachment_18844" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gus Schumacher from Team USA practices uphill [/caption] [caption id="attachment_18853" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stars of tomorrow who boldly decided to shine today: Veronika Stepanova,20, and Helene Fossesholm, 20[/caption][caption id="attachment_18843" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Television reporting these days means being able to run after world's best skier with a camera.Repeatedly[/caption] [caption id="attachment_18848" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Head coach of Team USA Matt Whitcomb calls Davos " home away from home" - the Americans…
Read More