Skeleton Ace: “Suddenly you โthink – How much does my bra actually weigh?”
The pressure โขtoโ meet โคweight โlimits โฃin โelite sportsโค can trigger a risky spiral, pushing athletes to extreme and unsettling lengths,โ as experienced by โขskeleton racer Tina Hansova. sheโค recounts a stark realization of this during a competitionโข where theโข focus shifted from performanceโค to obsessive weight management.
“You noticeโข that instantly,” Hansova described, recalling feelings โof shakiness, weakness, and a โคdisconcerting โคemptiness in her legs. “And then these absurd thoughts happen because you are desperately looking for โฃ’savings potential.’ Suddenly you think: ‘How much does my sports bra weigh?'”โฃ She revealedโฃ she removed โคher sportsโข bra โright before โthe start,even contemplating cutting her hair – a thought that,while seemingly comical,sheโ acknowledgesโ wasโ deeplyโ frightening.
This experience,โ she explains, highlights a troubling reality within the sport. “If you haveโ to lose several kilogramsโ in a short period ofโ time, you will go intoโค a spiral,” Hansova stated. she understands โhow female athletes canโค be vulnerable to developing eating disorders, admitting she โherself experienced intrusive thoughts about restrictive โbehaviors, though thankfully didn’t act on โthem. โข”the fact that such thoughts even arise in a professionalโค sports setting shows thatโ the โขsystem is settingโข the wrong stimuli.”
Hansova ultimately โขweighed inโ at 102 kg, comfortablyโ within the โฃpermitted โlimit. Though, โshe felt โฃthe damage was already done. The competition was negatively impacted by her depleted physical and mentalโ state. While adjustments were made toโฃ her sled, it became clear a lasting โapproach was impossible under the current conditions.
The weight rule, she believes, substantially hampered her chances of qualifying for theโ 2026 Winter Olympics. Despite being in peakโข physical conditionโค and achieving personal best sprint times, Hansova โargues thatโฃ the mental burden of โconstant weight monitoring โunderminedโข her performance. “In the skeleton,it’s the little โthings thatโฃ make the difference โin the end – and for that you need a clear head.If you โฃarrive at theโข track wearyโฃ and only thinking about the scales, that’sโข not a fair starting โคpoint.”
Hansova questions the fairness of the blanket โweight rule, arguing it unfairly groups athletes of different heights. “I am a normal weight and โขin a completely healthy rangeโ for competitiveโฃ sports. Nevertheless, โคa fixed number puts me inโข the same category as โathletes who are โ1.60 meters tall.” She believes skeleton should be โฃjudged on skill, courage, and precision, โnot “kitchen scale math.” The pressure โฃis so intense that โคathletes even question basic hydration needs between runs, weighingโ the riskโค of exceeding the limit against the necessityโ of drinking water.
Sheโ proposes adjustmentsโค to the rule, suggesting categorization byโ height as a potential โsolution. “Because skeleton โฃis not justโค ‘weight’,but also aerodynamics and โคpositioning. โBlanket limits simply affect different bodiesโ differently – and the psychological pressure on the athletes is enormous.”
Adding to the complexity, Hansova points out the impact โof the female menstrualโ cycle. โ”In โcertain phases – โespecially around my period – I have waterโค retention and am automatically heavier. Then โขyou do lymphatic drainage, plan your eating โคand drinkingโ even more strictly – and suddenly a completely normal, healthy โbody process feelsโค like a ‘problem.’ This is really โขmentally โฃstressful.”
