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Seve's Story
Fast Facts
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Events: 30km Skiathlon, Freestyle Sprint, 15km Classic, Team Sprint, 50km mass start free
Olympic History: Beijing 2022
Highlights: 51st in 50km Freestyle at Beijing 2022
Coach: Valerio Leccardi
Year Born: 1998
State Born: Victoria
About Seve
Although a downhill skier from a young age, Seve flicked a switch in his pre-teen years which put him on the cross-country skiing path.
The rhythmic ‘dance’ of a cross-country skier has captivated him.
"I feel like a monkey swinging on vines in the jungle: calm and precise with my movements, agile with my body, fluid and present with my mind, in a beautiful flow-like state, breezing through it," Seve said.
When he was 11 years-old his father thought it was an easier way to win some medals in school competitions, so Seve took up the Nordic discipline and became pretty good at it.
He came 15th in his first FIS (International Ski Federation) sanctioned event at Perisher in 2015.
Seve narrowly missed out on selection to the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2016, then made his major event international debut at the 2017 FIS World Junior Championship in the USA.
He represented Australia again at the World Juniors in 2018, then at the U23 World Championships in 2019 and 2020. His best results were at the 2020 championship in Germany (45th in the 30km, 54th in the 15km).
In 2021 Seve made his debut at the senior World Championship, with his best performance in the team sprint with Phil Bellingham (17th). Back home he was the 2021 Australian Rollerski champion and runner-up in the 2021 Australia-New Zealand Cup.
Due to the pandemic, Seve had to wait a little longer for his first trip to Beijing, after a cross-country skiing test event in China was cancelled in 2021.
Five events filled out Seve's schedule at Beijing 2022. His best individual result came in the 50km mass start free, which was reduced to 30km as the temperature plummeted to -15 degrees Celsius with 20-30km winds made it feel much colder. He powered through the character building race to finish 51st.
"I mentally prepared myself to tackle anything. They could have lengthened the course, or the conditions could have been even worse and I would have been ready to go," Seve said.
"I felt fine when I was out there. You really just switch your mind off and you know that it is going to be super tough so when you get there, and you are struggling, I guess you are just mentally ready for it."
He paired up with Phil for the team sprint and finished 22nd.
Seve has a double degree in Engineering (Hons) and Commerce from the Australian National University.
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