Send us a text

Training most of your life to make the Olympic team and then actually achieving that goal has got to be the crowning achievement of your life, right? For Hannah Halvorsen, it certainly was. It looks so glamorous to march in the Opening Ceremony, competing against the best in the world at the most awesome venues money can build, enjoying an unparalleled experience in the Olympic Village and seeing the sights of the host country with teammates and competitors. We met Hannah back in January, 2021 in episode #113 when, as an aspiring member of the U.S. Cross Country Ski team, she had rebounded from a catastrophic accident getting run over by a car in Anchorage, Alaska to return to the world Nordic Cup circuit and earning racing points. Certainly the kind of comeback story we love to share on the WASP. Hannah’s upward trajectory continued to earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. But as she describes, the Beijing experience was just a bit skewed due to Covid, restrictions on free speech and movement, dietary challenges, and more. All of which she and the other athletes were trained to expect, but certainly quite different from what Olympians will face at the next Olympics in Paris. It was still good, but not exactly what she had dreamt of. We also talk extensively about the different attitudes between the female and male athletes on the team, and among athletes in general. I think you’ll enjoy hearing about this eye-opening trip to the Olympics as well as hearing about her hard-fought journey to get there, including the relentless positive outlook that obviously played a huge role in getting her there. Hannah has now retired from competitive skiing and is embarking on some exciting new challenges, including both studying for a psychology degree and coaching skiing at Harvard University.

Hannah Halvorsen
Instagram @hannah.g.halvorsen

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor