Athlete profile: Fredrik Nyberg

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

The Swedish men's ski team has not won an Olympic medal since Lars-Börje Eriksson won bronze in Calgary in 1988...Nyberg was a member of both Swedish teams at the last two Olympics where they came up empty handed, but he says he is going into Nagano with a better frame of mind..."I'm more relaxed than other years," promises Nyberg. "I've had a really good feeling"...part of his new state of mind might stem from the recent move he made to Vigo di Fassi, Italy just a few years ago...during the winter season he now lives and trains out of the northern Italian town..."It was too much time to travel -- too tiring," says Nyberg about living in Sweden and competing on the World Cup. "Italy is very nice. It is easier. I have good training -- sometimes by myself, sometimes with the Swedish team"...Nyberg's girlfriend lives with him, making the transition somewhat easier...though he has yet to learn much Italian, he often converses with those around him in German...now Nyberg needs some Italian luck to give him a kick-start...in 1996, Nyberg recorded a solid winter season and was sEventsh in the year-end World Cup overall standings, but a poor 1996-97 season sent him in the wrong direction..."Two seasons ago I was doing all the events well and thinking about the all-around World Cup," says Nyberg. "I expected a lot from downhill also. Then I got out of rhythm, and I was not so good also in the technical events"...Nyberg also has had some problems with his patella tendon, most recently this past October...he hopes to be injury free by Nagano...ever since he was little, Nyberg always said he wanted "to be on skis" and initially started out as a cross-country skier before dedicated his time to alpine skiing when he was about eight years old...like many Swedish children, he idolized the likes of Ingemar Stenmark growing up..."He was pretty amazing in Sweden," tells Nyberg. "We stopped the lessons and watched him race on television"...Nyberg returns to Sweden in the summer, enjoying golf, fishing and swimming at his family's vacation house...his father works in a bank and his mother manages house properties...in Nagano, Nyberg admits there will one other Events he will be watching closely other than skiing -- the ice hockey tournament..."For sure they will do good," says Nyberg confidently about the Tre Kroner...he speaks good English...