The golden generation of Catalan cross-country skiers who want to make history at the Games

BarcelonaThree names, three stories. Jaume Pueyo (Badalona, ​​2001), Bernat Sellés (Lles de Cerdanya, 2003), and Marc Colell (La Seu d'Urgell, 2005) are the Catalan representatives in cross-country skiing at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. Never before have three Catalans qualified in a discipline with a long tradition in our country, but where they have always lagged behind the French, Scandinavians, or Germans. This trio of skiers knows they face an uphill battle to win that coveted medal or diploma that would recognize them as the best cross-country skiers in the world, but they start with a powerful enthusiasm that makes this prize seem closer than they thought. "When I think about the Games, a great ambition comes to mind. It's a dream, a very special adventure that every athlete dreams of, and I'll go there with great ambition. My challenge is to reach the sprint final, and I believe I can achieve it. I want to be at the Games." top 8 "And get a diploma," says Jaume, born in Badalona but raised in the Pyrenees; of all of them, he has the most experience.

Pueyo will act as a role model and something of a father figure to this delegation despite being only 24 years old. These will be his second Games, having participated in Beijing in 2022. "Four years ago, going to the Games was partly to gain experience, to be with the best and learn," he explains. Meanwhile, Bernat and Marc will make their debut this Tuesday, February 10th, both competing in the classic sprint event, but the athlete from Alto Urgell will also compete in the 10km freestyle.

Being a cross-country skier is no easy feat, especially coming from a country and region that has never had a strong tradition in the sport. The lack of training facilities means they have to tour across Europe to hone their technique. Norway, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Italy are some of the countries where they spend long periods training, all while keeping a close eye on the Pyrenees, their home, the mountains where they took their first steps on skis. "Llas de Cerdanya means a lot to me, because if I hadn't been born where I was, I don't think I would have ever gotten this far," Bernat explains to ARA. "From a young age, I had a lot of contact with snow, as my parents were very involved in cross-country skiing. My mother founded a ski club, and my father owned the village ski resort," he adds.

The training is very demanding. They dedicate hours upon hours to perfecting their technique in order to ultimately try to complete a lap of the course in the shortest possible time. Less than three minutes is the length of a race, and they'll have less than three days to learn the course and adapt to it as best they can. It's a course that will be somewhat different from those they've practiced on. "It's a slightly longer course than we're used to, and it also has more uphill sections; it will be considerably harder, but we'll try to do our best," Marc Colell told Pirineus TV. Participating in the Olympic Games is a true privilege; not everyone can get there. Although it's difficult to qualify, winning a medal at the Games is easier than winning one at the World Cross-Country Ski Championships. At the last World Championships, held in Oberhof, Germany, 73 athletes participated, and Norwegian Lars Heggen emerged victorious in the freestyle sprint category.

Jaume Pueyo was the best of the Catalans, with a historic 7th place finish. Marc finished in 34th place, while Bernat did not compete in that edition. Furthermore, the Games involve a few more athletes, around 90, but although it might not seem so, the chances of winning increase. This is due to the restriction on the maximum number of places each federation can send; in other words, many skiers, despite having finished higher than the Catalans, will not be able to participate because their national team has a maximum number of places available and there isn't room for everyone. This means that the odds of this golden generation of Catalan skiers winning a title increase significantly. However, all three remain grounded and know the reality as it is. "I think we have to be realistic; we can't aspire to things that are very difficult right now, like winning a medal or a diploma in an individual competition. Right now, my goal is to try to get into the..." top 30 "The sprint; that would be a good goal. We haven't just come to enjoy the experience, but also to compete, but to compete for realistic things," explains Bernat.

The three are scheduled to participate in the individual classic sprint this Tuesday, February 10, which will start at 9:55 a.m. In addition, Marc Colell, Jaume Puedo, and Jaume Pueto will compete in the freestyle on Friday, February 13, at 11:45 a.m., and then together in the team freestyle sprint, which will take place on Wednesday the 18th at 10:15 a.m., when they will know whether they are still in contention in the other competitions or not.