Qualified for the Olympics! The ultimate goal?
Zak originally wrote this blog for his Substack on Jan. 26th. You can find his substack and subscribe here
Hello and welcome back,
I’m writing this from Goms, Switzerland, after today’s 20km classic mass start. It was a hard one—it felt like hours and hours of accordion racing: sprinting, stopping, sprinting, stopping. Not exactly graceful. But I surprised myself. I felt strong, stayed reasonably fresh, and crossed the line genuinely happy with how the day went.
What made it even better was the contrast with yesterday.
Yesterday was a classic sprint, and physically, it was one of the best sprint days I’ve ever had. I posted one of the best qualifiers of my career… and then managed to blow it in the quarterfinal.
I got disqualified.
I caused an obstruction to a Swedish skier, already had a yellow card, and that turned into a red—yes, like soccer rules. Just like that, my day was over. What could’ve been my best sprint result ever ended with me at the bottom of the list with a DSQ next to it. I’ve never been disqualified before, so I guess there really is a first for everything 🙂
I was frustrated afterward—mostly with myself. I didn’t see the Swedish skier coming, and in the moment my brain simply didn’t register that I was drifting into another track. It happens fast. Still, it stung. But by the end of the day, I did what you have to do in this sport: reset, refocus, and move on. What’s done is done.
Today was much better and glad to end the weekend on more of high.
This weekend was the final World Cup stop before the Olympics in Italy, which are now just two weeks away. For most of us, this weekend mattered a lot. We have eight U.S. guys who have qualified for the games, but only four start spots for each race (besides team sprint which is only for two people).
This weekend was about starts — who gets to start each race. Although eight of us qualified, there’s a chance we don’t all get a start.
Which brings me to the thoughts on the Olympics.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been told — and believed — that the ultimate goal for an American athlete is to qualify for the Olympics. And while that’s true, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what that goal actually means… and what it should mean to me.
I’ve spent most of my athletic life trying to qualify for things.
Qualifying for REG.
Qualifying for NTG.
Junior Nationals.
NCAA Championships.
World Cups.
World Championships.
Olympics.
It’s exciting to be among the better athletes in your region, and it’s fun when you make the cut for limited-entry events. But even the first time I qualified for Junior Nationals, I knew something important: if my goal ended with qualifying, then I would be a complete skier? Done developing, perfectly content with my level.
Spoiler — I definitely wasn’t.
In college, all year we would talk about point systems, number of athletes, and who would qualify for NCAA. I wanted to qualify too, of course. But more than that, I wanted to race. I wanted to compete once I got there, not just check a box.
And that’s how I feel now about the Olympics.
It’s one of the greatest honors an athlete can have - become an olympian and represent our country. I’m incredibly grateful to have qualified, and I’m genuinely excited to go there and see it all. But most of all, I want to race the events — and race them well.
I don’t want to be there just for the experience. Because, honestly, the experience probably won’t be very enjoyable if I’m racing poorly or feeling off. If I get one chance to race at the Olympics, I want to show up to that start line ready to compete.
So here’s how I’m approaching the next two weeks:
Do normal things.
Train normal (the work that matters is already done), eat normal, sleep, recover, hydrate, watch movies, talk to friends and family. Prepare like this is any other trip — because in many ways, it is.Prepare mentally for extremes.
The Olympics can be overwhelming… or underwhelming maybe? I want to be ready for both and everything in between.Enjoy the process.
The last two weeks before the Olympics are still a privilege. I chose this sport. It should be fun. I can be nervous, but I should also live and be present.
I’ve also been on the outside of the qualifying group plenty of times before, and I know how hard that can be. Watching a goal that’s been quietly marinating in the back of your mind—sometimes for four years, sometimes your entire career—slowly drift out of reach is brutal. It’s discouraging in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’ve lived it.
You do everything you can and hope that, when the dust settles, your name is on the list. And for every name that makes it, there are plenty sitting just below the line. It’s cutthroat. That’s the reality of high-level sport. It usually comes down to tiny margins, a bit of luck and timing, and countless choices—plus a lot of days spent wondering if you did enough, or did the right things.
Because of that, I’m grateful. I’m excited. And I’m focused on making the most of the opportunity in front of me.
Those are my thoughts for now.
I’ll keep documenting everything, and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride. Thanks for reading—and thanks for being here.
And to all: stay warm and safe out there.
~ZAK
