Johannes Rydzek is part of the Nordic combined “old iron“, as he says with a laugh about himself in the Sportschau podcast. The Allgäu native has been part of the World Cup circus since 2008. At the 2017 World Cup in Lahti he became “Super-Ritschie”: he won gold four times. At the Olympic Games In Pyeongchang he was crowned double Olympic champion.
But in recent years things have become quiet around Rydzek. It was only at the beginning of this season that he brought himself back into the limelight: in Ruka he celebrated his first World Cup victory in almost six years. “That was an incredible day“, says the 33-year-old. His sister Coletta, who was just stopping off in Finland with the cross-country skiers, was waiting for him at the finish. “We cheered and also had a tear or two in our eyes. Neither of us could believe what I had achieved.”
Sportschau winter sports podcast, January 1st, 2025 10:00 a.m
Rydzeks Motivation recipe: “Go back to the original”
But how did Rydzek manage to motivate himself after the rather dull winters of the past, how did he maintain his energy throughout? “I’ve already been able to achieve a lot. There are so many sporting goals and of course it’s not easy to motivate yourself.”said Rydzek.
“I’m not just doing it because of the results, but because I’m still passionate about this sport,” explains the Oberstdorfer. And continues: “I’ve gone back to the original. You can’t put so much emphasis on the result, but you have to be satisfied with small successes – bad results no longer drag me down.”
Rydzek wants to stay involved in the sport even after his career ends
During the period of setbacks, Rydzek never seriously considered retiring. “At times, yes, because nothing worked. But my family environment supported me well and made me think: I’m still passionate about sport.” But he adds: “I know my career is finite. I notice that I recover differently than when I was in my mid-20s.” And his goals for the time afterwards? “I definitely want to stay involved in the sport.”
Future of Noko: “Tendency is not that cool”
But the future of Nordic combined is at stake. It is still uncertain whether the supreme discipline of Nordic skiing will also be present at the 2030 Olympics. As an athlete spokesman, Rydzek attends the FIS meetings and sees himself “between the chairs“.
There are only eight World Cup weekends scheduled this season, with only one World Cup weekend taking place in the prestigious winter month of January. “I would also like to have a full competition calendar. Not being present in January is not good for our sport, where we are currently fighting to survive.“On the other hand, he also understands the organizers, because further World Cups are not logistically easy to implement. Nevertheless, Rydzek warns: “It’s getting less and less every year – the trend isn’t quite as cool.”