Cross-country skier Thomas Maloney Westgaard is a 26-year-old Irish-Norwegian 15km classic specialist who trains up to 200km a-week on snowy tracks in Trondheim where there is only six hours of daylight at this time of year.
"To take the Olympic path is quite a magnificent thing I think, and is a huge carrot that makes me focus."
"It’s a strange thing but when you’re in the forest, often just by yourself and a long way from other people, you often start visualising races and start dreaming about how the event will go. It can feel like everything else disappears and you only focus for the main thing, which is to be in the best shape for the biggest day."
Thomas, who grew up on the tiny island of Leka (600 inhabitants), represents Ireland thanks to his mother Celia Maloney from Dunmore who moved to Norway 35 years ago after meeting her Norwegian husband on a sun holiday in the Canaries.
Heading into his second Olympic Games, Thomas can train for up to five hours in one session, and is well-respected world wide on the racing circuit.
Since making his Olympic debut in 2018 Thomas has finished a degree in Sports Science and progressed to his Masters but he’s taken this year off study “to go all in for the Olympics” which take place in Beijing, February 4-20, 2022.
Cross country skiers rival cyclists as the world’s top endurance athletes. He has a resting heart rate of 39 and a VO2max of 77 but points out that the superstars of his sport have over 90.
He is well acquainted with them because Norwegians dominate his sport right now and won seven of the 12 golds available at the last Olympics.
A dozen of his family, including some relatives he had not seen in 10 years, travelled to South Korea to support him when he became only Ireland’s fourth Olympian at cross-country but sadly not his father.
What few knew was the emotional turmoil Thomas was suffering at those Olympics because his beloved dad Ove was terminally ill with cancer and passed away, aged only 66, three months later.
“I knew things were coming to an end but, he was so focussed on me doing my best and I was really happy that I could finish the races and that he witnessed that. It was huge for both of us.
“He was important for me in so many ways and drove the scooter at home that made all the skiing tracks for me when I was young.
His 2018 results - 60th and 62nd – were Ireland’s best ever in Olympic cross-country but he feels he has improved a lot since and proved that by finishing 9th, at one of those races in Val di Fiemme last January.
He was also 25th in the 50km classic at last year’s World Championships, a huge achievement, but the 50km in the Olympics, which he will also compete in, is ‘freestyle’. Cross Country is raced on tracks (classic style) or skated (freestyle) on open snow and classic is his preferred technique.
With the athletes beginning to arrive at the Pre-Games Camp in Innsbruck, Austria, the final touches are being put in place, and the final places being decided ahead of the official team announcement for Team Ireland at the Winter Olympics in Beijing which will be released on the 24th January. The Winter Olympics run from the 4 - 20 February 2022 across three venues in Beijing.
This is the 30th anniversary of Team Ireland competing at the Winter Olympics, find out more HERE.
Find out more about the sports, and some of the athletes chasing Olympic spots HERE.
