the head snake skier makes history

El Tarter (Andorra)Joan Verdú is the man of fashion in Andorra. That’s why his team tries to protect him and cleans his schedule of events and interviews. But the press – professional stuff – insists and he doesn’t say no to anyone. He knows that he is the protagonist and accepts all requests with a smile on his face. He could do like others and get rid of it in any way, for the sake of covering the file. he doesn’t He likes to talk and explain himself. He moves away from the prototype athlete who has a head full of sparrows. Probably because the injuries, the damn injuries, have given him a lot of free time to think. He is aware of where he comes from and is very clear about what he wants.

The story of this Andorran is an obstacle course against himself. He’s had two knee surgeries, “the worst injury a skier can suffer.” But he also fractured his tibia and fibula. And even more things. Last season he was crowned European champion and this season – the first in the World Cup – he was able to qualify for the finals which are contested precisely in the Principality of Andorra, at home. This Saturday is the big local attraction in the giant slalom. “I’m not going out for a walk but to show what I’m capable of,” warns the skier, with a look that conveys sincerity and ambition.

I hope the track Avet loves me as much as I love her”

Joan Verdú Skier

He will compete on the Avet track, the jewel in Soldeu’s crown, one mur with a slope that reaches 65% at its highest point. “It’s my favorite track!” he exclaims, his eyes sparkling. “I know her perfectly, I know her particularities. She has a couple of details that can give me a slight advantage. We hope she loves me as much as I love her,” he adds. It will be two hoses. And in Andorra they dream of a dream result. A podium? He prefers not to talk about results.

Joan Verdú makes his World Cup debut at 27 years old

At 27 years old, Verdú admits that he has arrived “a little late” to the World Cup. And he did it the year the finals were played at home. Two zeroes in the first two races was about to throw everything on the ground. “There were very difficult moments, but we managed to bring it back together.” The top 25 went by and he did it in position number 20. He says the pressure doesn’t affect him. Neither the fact of competing at home nor of being the first Andorran to reach the finals. “Obviously I feel the pressure, like all high-level athletes. I handle it very well. Actually, I’ve already taken the weight off me by getting here. That was the big goal. Now I feel liberated.”

On Saturday, at the finish line, his grandfather, also called Joan, will not be missing. He has been the most important figure for the skier since he became a professional. They live on top of each other. “It has been my point of support,” he emphasizes. Especially during the injury recovery process. Difficult moments in which Verdú came to consider letting it go. “It was very complicated. You spend many days in bed while you see that the competition does not stop. Doubts enter you. If you will have the physical level again… If you will return to the technical level of before… Women many twists and turns.” This is where his grandfather stepped in. “I managed to focus, I convinced myself that I could do it. I took care of absolutely every detail, from nutrition to rest. I knew that if I didn’t do a good rehab, I lost everything. I didn’t go surrender”.

They told me I was like a snake. Quiet on skis but poisonous in competition”

Joan Verdú Skier

When he was a child, his classmates used to joke with Joan: “They told me he was like a snake. Silent on the skis but poisonous in the competition.” Last year, after leaving behind the ordeal of injuries, he won the European Championship with a snake screen-printed on his helmet. It is and will be his image, his personal stamp until he retires. But now is not the time to talk about that. “I’m at my peak,” he says. First, the competition in Andorra. Then, a demanding pre-season that he will play with the Norwegian team. And for 2024, a new challenge: “I will have a good number, I will not go against the current. I will be able to free myself even more and show that I am fast. I want to enter the top 10 as soon as possible.” The snake does not want to stop being silent or poisonous.