Gustav Legnavsky
HARD work partnered with the positivity and respect have been the undercurrent fuelling Gustav Legnavsky’s achievements.
‘‘Respect can be for people, and for the environment,’’ he said.
These nurtured values have become a part of his personal strengths through ‘‘trying to be a positive person towards everything, being social and inclusive’’.
At 16, Gustav has already made a notable mark in the ski industry, winning a variety of international titles and being the youngest Olympian at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
His achievements have not been without their challenges though — travelling overseas to compete during tight Covid19 protocols, being one of them.
Another was the time pressures in qualifying for the Olympics.
‘‘For my age, I wasn’t allowed to do the full threeyear qualifiers for the Olympics. I could only do two years of it, which was pretty stressful,’’ he said.
Among his achievements to date, a personal highlight was the Junior World Championships.
‘‘It was a really cool feeling to come back from the previous notsogood competition at the Olympics and ending the season really well,’’ Gustav said.
He credits his role models — his mother, and other skiers ‘‘who are always happy about where they are and never complaining about stuff’’ — for inspiring him over the years.
Looking ahead, Gustav says it is hard to pinpoint exactly where he will end up, ‘‘but I will definitely keep on skiing and following the dream, until I find something new’’.
The potential thought is to head to university one day and study, but in the meantime he will be moving abroad with his family for the next few years.
Achievements: 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics — being the youngest Olympian at the 2022 Games, 2022 (Leysin/March) Junior World Champion halfpipe skiing — with a score of 96/100, finishing 8th at the Mammoth Mountain grand prix world cup. Role model: Mum and ‘‘most skiers that just froth life and being there makes them happy’’; ‘‘people that are always happy about where they are and never complaining about stuff’’. Hopes for the future: My family will be moving overseas at the end of this year and living there for the next few years, ‘‘so it’s not pinpointed, but I will definitely keep on skiing and following the dream, until I find something new’’.