At 1,203 days to the start of the Milan-Cortina meeting, Klaus Jungbluth (43 years) He has two South American asphalt ski championships on his radar in Brazil and Colombia, to close 2022 and start the new year training in the snow of Europe with a view to the Cross-country Ski World Cup in Slovenia that is scheduled for February. This week he has participated for points in Brazil and from next Friday he will continue with his general preparation plan in Colombia. The first Ecuadorian athlete in a Winter Olympics –debuted in PyeongChang 2018– sees with good eyes his process towards the “big goal” what is the qualification to the 2026 Games. But he sends a message: “The Ministry of Sports has not included me in the High Performance Plan regardless of the fact that I am an Olympic athlete who represents the country and the only one in this discipline.”
The Guayaquil skier chatted with EL UNIVERSO, via Zoom, from Brazil. He will come to visit Ecuador on October 31.
The story of the first Ecuadorian in a Winter Olympics
Were you unable to compete in the 2022 Beijing Games due to obstacles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes, exactly. The pandemic reduced my chances of leaving Australia to train in the snow and compete, because Australia had very strict laws and it was very difficult to leave and re-enter. It meant going out and not knowing if they would let me in, so leaving my family like this was a very difficult option. I had no choice but to stay in Australia and try to make the biggest competition within the country, although some were also cancelled. That, plus the change in regulations for the general classification, which greatly harmed small countries that have few athletes and greatly favored countries that have more athletes, placed Ecuador in the ranking quotas very low. That is why Ecuador did not manage to have a place. I had the necessary points to compete, but Ecuador was the one that did not have that quota due to its ranking. I think that these criteria are going to change so that there is a greater inclusion of small countries that do not have much tradition in skiing and yet have skiers who achieve the necessary points to qualify.
But Beijing 2022 gave him the opportunity to coach Colombian Carlos Quintana.
It was the first time as a coach in a big official event like the Olympic Games. But I knew Carlos for a long time and I helped him with certain technical aspects of the training. When the Games were getting closer and we saw that Ecuador had no quota, and we sent letters (to the International Ski Federation) and there was no positive response, Colombia suggested that I go with them, act as Carlos’ coach, help him with the preparation skis, and I gladly said yes. It was an experience that gave me a lot of new knowledge and it was very satisfying to see that I did the correct preparation of the skis for Carlos. He didn’t have any problems with the skis in the competition.
Don’t you think that having your new home in Italy ends up being a strategy with a view to Milan-Cortina?
I thought about it for a moment. It was really a coincidence that the Games are in Italy and that my wife is Italian. But yes, since we live in Italy, I can train on the tracks that are going to be part of the Olympic Games. We don’t live so close to that sports complex, we’re about an hour from where you can train in the snow, but at a certain point I’ll surely visit. This change that we have had with my family, from Australia to Europe, will greatly facilitate the training process, preparation for races, general preparation, training camps. All of this will facilitate my performance for the big goal that is qualifying for 2026.
What are the key races in your general preparation plan for Milan-Cortina?
One of the minimum requirements is the 2023 World Championship which will be in Slovenia in February. I have to attend. Ecuador has to be there. And once the Olympic qualification period opens, which will be from July 2024, there will be certain key races there. The 2025 World Cup in Norway is also going to be vital. The World Cups are one of the main requirements.
Sarah Escobar meets Klaus Jungbluth again at the Winter Olympics ceremony
What does Ecuador need to form a delegation that represents us in the Winter Games? Perhaps in the 2026 event the national team will be made up of Sarah Escobar and you?
I am sure that Sarah is training to qualify for the 2026 Games, and if she succeeds and I accompany her it would be something historic for the country. From there, I remain open to the possibility that there is another athlete, someone interested, whether they live in Ecuador or abroad, I am open to giving them all my knowledge, to giving them the best technical support, even logistics, if it is person wants to learn and compete in cross-country skiing. In Sarah’s camp I don’t know other people who practice alpine skiing. I do know of an athlete who participates for Ecuador, in snowboardingHe has dual citizenship. He is Ecuadorian and Chinese, and I think he lives in the Netherlands. He told me that he is interested in qualifying for the 2026 Games.
Do you have the support of the Ministry of Sport in this new route towards your second Games?
The Ministry of Sport has not included me in the High Performance Plan regardless of the fact that I am an Olympic athlete who represents the country and the only one in this discipline. In addition to being looking to qualify for the Winter Olympics, which would lead Ecuador to make history again.
And how do you support your economic expenses that involve traveling from one continent to another and moving within Europe and solving maintenance during the competitions?
I train like any high-performance athlete in the country, I compete representing the country, I do not compete for Klaus Jungbluth, but for Ecuador. The Ministry of Sport has never supported me, in any Olympic cycle. The only support I had in the previous Olympic cycle (2018-2022) was from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), through a scholarship called Olympic Solidarity. Funds that come from the IOC, but not from the Ecuadorian State. That has been the only support I have had in my entire sports career. It is very sad to have to sometimes, being a high-performance athlete and representing the country in international events, go through situations of always having to look for the cheapest accommodation, the cheapest transportation, save on food, save on equipment, because my budget does not give me to have more comfortable or better options. And this in turn has an impact on the performance of the athlete because perhaps it makes the trip longer, staying far from the place of competition, not having the proper food or nutrition. These factors influence the athlete’s performance because they compete against athletes who have better equipment, better logistics; In short, they have a work team. It should be fair that all athletes have support from the Ministry of Sport.
What is the contribution made by the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE)?
The Ecuadorian Olympic Committee is managing an annual aid from the International Ski Federation, so that this economic aid reaches Sarah Escobar and me. The COE manages it year after year and these funds come from the International Ski Federation, but they are not funds that come from the country.
So, the COE at least carries out this management but in reality it does not give any financial support.
Correct. The COE manages funds from the International Ski Federation and a possible scholarship nomination. It is that the COE is the one that acts as the National Ski Federation, that is why only they can manage these aids. In short, I think that if the Ministry of Sports wanted to help, either directly or through the COE, it would.
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Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
