Astrid Øyre Slind takes her first World Cup podium

This weekend 34-year-old, Astrid Øyre Slind took her first World Cup podium, as she grabbed a 3rd place finish in the 20km mass start classical race in Les Rousses in France. Team Aker Dæhlie is proud to support Astrid in her quest to both succeed as a long-distance skier, and to qualify to represent Norway at the World Championships in Slovenia later this season.

Astrid is a great example of what the team, through the Beyond concept, wants to achieve - namely to provide unique support to athletes throughout their career. The team initiative is founded on the premise of Beyond, emphasizing the importance of performance Beyond the realm of sports. Too many athletes end their skiing career long before reaching their full potential. This is particularly true for women and para-athletes. Astrid's development as an athlete is a fantastic example of that despite not reaching her highest level at a young age, it is still possible through hard work, patience, determination and by accepting support from a dedicated team of resources. For an athlete equipped with a strong mindset to follow an individualized development plan over time, anything is possible. Astrid is for us, and hopefully for others, a hero and a role-model that inspire, motivate and encourage everyone to challenge and develop the sport further.

Photo: NTB Scanpix

Team Aker Dæhlie is present at all arenas where you find cross country skiing. Even though Astrid in the past years has been focusing on becoming the best long-distance skier at Ski Classics races, we fully support and embrace her efforts to qualify for the Norwegian team going to the cross-country World Championships in Planica, Slovenia. Our mission is to inspire people to follow their dreams and chase their goals, while at the same time setting a new standard for how to develop and strengthen the sport. When Astrid succeeds and reaches her goals, Team Aker Dæhlie gains valuable knowledge and experiences. We strongly believe that by sharing knowledge, Team Aker Dæhlie can lead the way and inspire others.

Congratulations with a fantastic result this weekend, Astrid! We hope to see you in Planica in the end of February.