Interview with Petra Majdič

Fantastic, relief, one large relaxation. One super feeling.

It is rather simple, once you get used to it. This drudging is simply my way of life, and it is actually not an effort, which someone else, say an average athlete, would not be able to bear. For me it does not represent extreme toil. I am simply used to it, and my body is able to support it. Such quantity of milk acid, which my body is able to assimilate, would probably produce coma in an average athlete, or at least taken to the emergency ward. My motivations to sustain are my goals, for which I am convinced to be reachable with the right amount of endeavor.

When I start to feel exhaustion I start to count. But I never question myself during the race if I am doing the right thing. I do think about it before the race sometimes, when I am nervous, and I know how strenuous it is going to be. However, I never say to myself: »I will again ache all over, I will be tired again, as well as each time over and over ...« But during the race, when it is really tough, I say to myself: »You have to keep up, only this one, and then it is the end«, and I count to ten.

The greatest values in life for me are health and family. My motto is: "What you do, do fairly and put your best into it".

They are all connected with positive spirit, and with the fact that if you wish to be successful in something, you need enormous quantity of knowledge, positive thinking, and lots of determination. I keep saying that everything is possible, everything is attainable. I frequently hear how Slovenia is small, and how small is our market. People who say that do not dare to try. If you try to do something once, twice, three times, and you fail, this does not automatically mean that you can not succeed, and that it can not be done, so you must not give up. Try a hundredth time and you will succeed, I am sure of it. All you need is determination. Look at Gorenje for example! It is one of the most renowned brands in the world, not merely in Slovenia. And this is the result of hard work and persistence, because you believe that you can do it.

It means a great lot to me. When you are successful, you do not need a lot of other people – suddenly everybody is tapping your shoulder and wants you to accept their offer. But you need somebody when you still had not proven yourself and you had not achieved the results. Gorenje has been my general sponsor ever since I remember. This is what associates me tightly to Gorenje. Emotions and respect. I also greatly esteem Gorenje because it has been operating on markets with extremely high competitiveness, the same as I do, and where it is extremely hard to come out as a winner. Gorenje had nevertheless attained its position among the leading top corporations in its branch. They have also attracted my attention with the fantastic story of the Swarovski crystal scattered refrigerator. That one is really fantastic! But my greatest admiration for Gorenje comes from the fact that they had been at my side for the entire duration of my career, from the beginnings till today, irrelevant of whether I had good or bad results. And I will never forget that.