Ulrike Gräßler is a German ski jumper who has competed since 2003. She won a silver medal in the inaugural women’s ski jumping event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec. Grässler has a total of eight Continental Cup victories in her career.
She in the summer of 2001 in Meinerzhagen participated in ski jumping the FIS Ladies Tour for the first time at an international competition in appearance. In the winter of 2002 she participated in the FIS Ladies Grand Prix in part, finishing in 14th place. In 2003 she became German champion and finished in the same year the second place in the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Planica. In the unofficial junior world championship in Stryn 2004 she won second place.
Since the introduction of Ladies Continental Cup (COC) Gräßler came through in this most competitive series of ladies ski jumping. In the first discharged season, 2004-05, she could achieve consistently top rankings and finished second in the overall standings to sixth place. In the now under the COCs discharged Ladies Grand Prix she was in third place this season. 2005-06 could be placed back on several jumping among the best, but missed a few jumping back on places 15-20, which is why she won the title in Gesamt Continental Cup.
In the 2006-07 season she jumped all the more successful and won several jumping. This secured her the second place in the Ladies Grand Prix and reached the end even the second place in the Continental Cup overall standings.She parted only 88 points from the winner Anette Sagen .
After a separate summer and winter rating was introduced for the Continental Cup in 2008, she won the COC overall ranking with a clear lead in the summer of 2008. In the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec she won the inaugural competition ski wear Ladies second place. At the German Championships in 2009 she won before Carina Vogt and Ramona Straub gold medal. In summer 2009 she was again able to decide the COC overall ranking for herself with four individual victories. In winter 2009/10 it is jointly owned with Tell and Daniela Iraschko the dominant athletes of the season.
As at the Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme , a mixed team competition was held for the first time, she won with the German team alongside Carina Vogt , Richard Freitag and Severin Freund behind Japan and Austria the bronze medal.
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Ulrike Gräßler is exceptionally talented ski jumping silver medalist at FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitnes
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You must have started ski jumping at a young under your coach Bodo Dotzauer and later reached the pinnacle of success by winning World Ski Championships Silver in 2009 at Liberec and Bronze in 2013 at Val di Fiemme. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
First of all: To become a ski jumper was a random or my destiny. Around my hometown Eilenburg – situated in the Leipzig-Lowland – we have no mountains. But a jumping hill! The reason for it was that in Eilenburg was a chemical company. This company produced mats for summer ski jumping and tested it. So the company was building a jumping hill.
But the most important step at the beginning of my career was to go to the Ski jumping center in Klingenthal in the Erzgebirge Mountains. The Erzgebirge has the special part “Vogtland”, it is a highland in the southern part of Saxony. We have in Germany the special time when a lot of young talents will concentrate in youth training groups. We have it in Thuringia, the Alps, in the Blackwood forest and also in Saxony. The training helped my talent grow more and more. And it was a helpful in 2006 to go the German Federal Police. It is also a part of the special German way to be in the sport and also to offer the possibility to go to the German army Bundeswehr or to the Federal Police or to work for the German customs authority.
This was the right way. I got more space for training and my social standing was saved. Last but not the least my family and my coaches supported me and their support is with me all the time. I have to thank my coaches Daniel Vogler and now Andreas Bauer. And I’ve learned that sport on top level will only work if you fight hard for it. So I am what I am
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You had an emergency appendectomy surgery in September 2013 in Russia and affected your 2013/14 season preparation. Nevertheless, you managed to qualify for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. You had the great honor to participate in Olympic Games. How you were able to overcome such a physical injury/setback and what advice you can give to fellow sports person in a similar situation
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
I’m very ambitious. This was the main reason. I wished to be an Olympian since the time when I was a young girl. I fought for it in the last years together with other ski jumping ladies we fought hard to play a role in the Olympic program. It was not easy in the last 12 months but friends and family helped me not to resign. Now the games are over and from today it is easy to say it worked. This is not the truth. It worked a little bit but it worked not like I hoped. With more time – I’m sure – I could have reached better results in Sochi. But I was sick there and all these problems were too much. My shape was bad on the Olympic day. But it was a success to go to start and never gave up.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
It is easy to answer this question: With muscle training, with stabilization, with jogging sometimes and of course with jumping – with or without ski.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
Yes, I have to look what and how much I eat. One of the most important rules in ski jumping: Lightweight fly far. But I decide what I eat and I can eat all. The question is: How much? One result of it: I feed myself healthy with lots of fruits and vegetables. But I also take a burger, candy or chocolate.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hairs. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hairs to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
This is no secret. I use normal facial skin care. For my hair I use shampoo and a conditioner. That’s all!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding professional ski jumping girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of ski jumping?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
Believe in yourself! Pursue your goals! Be ambitious! So it manages to survive in crisis. Train hard! But think about it: take it easy. Sport is just a part of life. Sport is not the life alone.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How did you feel before and after winning silver in the inaugural competition ski wear Ladies Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
It was my first championship, for the first time ski jumping for woman was part of the program of World Championships in Nordic skiing. So I was really nervous. But I was also focused. I remember that I knew exactly that it was my only chance to get a medal. After the competition I was very happy. It was my day, everything worked perfect and silver was there.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influencer and motivator in your success in the field of your career in competitive ski jumping?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
I was myself my greatest influencer. It is not a joke! You have to believe in yourself. Because many things in top sport will be decided in the head! And the support of family and friends is also a motivation.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You are a German federal police officer. Tell us about this endeavor of yours?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
We have the special system for social security in sports in Germany. For that reason it was possible for me to get a job in the German federal police in 2006. I studied there for the next four years, every year in the summer time between April and August. I needed the other months for training. After the tests in September 2010. I became the title “Polizeimeister”, this is the same like a sergeant.
At the moment I’m a professional ski jumper. I have only one week for training and coaching each year. To be a sergeant is one of the most important points. So I can concentrate for my sport. We have no big sponsors in woman’s ski jumping. With my job at federal police officer I’m saved in social questions. And after my career I can switch in a real job in the police department.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Ulrike Gräßler:
Thank you for reading this interview at first! Have a look at your healthy! And have fun!
To know more about Ulrike Gräßler check her out at http://www.ulrike-graessler.com
Women Fitness Team thanks Ulrike Gräßler for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and also wish to thank Thorsten vom Wege who made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.