Ledecka’s athletic feats have elevated her to rock-star status in the alpine world. Photo: Jan Kasl//Red Bull Content Pool
In both a remarkable and humorous display, Czech multi-sport athlete Ester Ledecka performs a wild balancing act standing on one leg, while fending off numerous objects swiftly tossed at her including balls, ropes, yoga mats, a mop and bucket, teddy bear, and even a chair. One ball abruptly knocks off her cap, but she never loses focus while remaining upright on a balance pad.
Ledecka’s entertaining stunt has attracted 25,000 views on her Instagram page.
Elton John’s I’m Still Standing sums it up, while the uncanny balancing act is symbolic of her athletic career. The 30-year-old Olympic skiing and snowboard champion continues to successfully juggle both sports, competing at the highest level.
“For many years, I’ve thought it’s all about the improvisation in my life – that I always need to be ready for different scenarios,” Ledecka tells The Inertia, in a video interview from her home in Prague. “Everything is always changing. There’s constant switching between snowboard and skis, but in the end, I realized that I do need some kind of a scheduled to live.
“We’ve become used to this chaotic environment, where I go snowboarding and then I quickly switch to skis. The coaches have to cooperate also and it’s not easy. You find your peace inside of all of this, at least I’m trying.”
Ledecka once again dazzled on the slopes last winter. She became the first athlete ever to win medals at both the alpine ski and snowboard world championships (parallel giant slalom), accomplishing the feat in one season. The Czech star ripped to a downhill bronze medal at ski racing’s biannual signature event in Saalbach, Austria, in February. She topped that performance with snowboard world championship gold and silver medals, in parallel giant slalom and slalom, respectively, in Engadin, Switzerland, in March.
“I didn’t know that no one had done this before me, but I kind of assumed it,” Ledecka says, lighting up with a smile. “My goal was succeeding at two championships, which I achieved. I’m always trying to win every race, but there are some very fast girls out there, especially on the skiing side.
“I was injured before the (skiing) championships and didn’t know if I would compete. I overcame some back pain and was very happy to achieve the bronze medal. And then the snowboard world championships were absolutely two amazing races.”
It may sound absurd, but Ledecka’s most recent sensational showing across the two sports somewhat pales in comparison to her unprecedented accomplishments at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. She delivered a mind-blowing double gold medal performance.
Ledecka pulled off a monumental upset starting bib #26 in the women’s super-G, expressing utter disbelief in the finish area. She then overcame a mountain of pressure as the snowboard PGS favorite, once again charging to victory.
The otherworldly performance in South Korea quickly elevated Ester to a snowsports queen, and rock-star status.
With the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games just five months away, the free-spirited, but highly motivated Czech is by no means slowing down, or choosing between her two sports. She intends to compete in both skiing and snowboarding at a third consecutive Olympics.
This past summer, Ledecka and her family once again vacationed on the Greek island of Lefkada, as she dove into another sport she’s passionate about: windsurfing. It’s certainly therapeutic for the busy athlete, also serving as cross-training for her skiing and snowboarding form. She’s even raced in a windsurf comp.
View this post on Instagram
“Being on the water frees my mind and for me is the biggest relaxation and meditation,” Ledecka says. “Some of windsurfing translates over to snow, but it has different movements and patterns connected to different muscles.
“It takes lots of balance and core muscles and you need to be really strong to control the sail and board. Intuition builds reacting to the wind and you can escape with your mind, alone at sea,” she says.
As if pushing boundaries in three sports isn’t enough, Ledecka recently surfed in Madeira, Portugal, adding yet another new sport.
“I tried surfing for the first time in Madeira this spring – it was an unplanned one-week escape,” Ledecka said. “I found a surf school and it was really cool. I loved it, but now I want to learn more and try to crush it. I’m just afraid because the more I like it, it means I’ll need to buy more and more new equipment.”
Shifting gears from the water back to her snowsports, Ledecka is kicking off the upcoming Olympic season with an important training camp in Chile, alongside friends and rivals from the ski circuit. The work will provide the foundation to move forward and strategize with her skiing and snowboard coaches, implementing a winter racing game plan.
Ledecka is poised for a third consecutive Olympic skiing and snowboard double, come February in the Italian Dolomites. However, a scheduling conflict will make her quest even harder. The women’s downhill in Cortina and snowboard PGS in Livigno are both slated for Sunday, February 8.
“I understand that it is not easy to change a set schedule with TV and everything,” she says. “But I think it would be nice to have all of the great athletes at the start in both these sports. I really believe I’m one of them.”
Logistics will make things tough on Ledecka in 2026. Photo: Johann Groder//RBCP
As Ester and the Czech Olympic Committee have lobbied for a change, there has even been talk of slightly modifying the daily schedules and transporting her via helicopter between the distant venues, situated about 160 miles apart. Naturally, it would still take a herculean effort for her to prepare and thrive across two events over one day.
The women’s super-G falls four days after the snowboard PGS is contested.
“If the program stays like it is, I’ll probably do the snowboard PGS and then ski the super-G,” Ledecka says. “It’s still a crazy plan, but I believe it’s possible.”
However, she’ll still encounter a considerable disadvantage, having missed valuable training runs and the opening speed race on Cortina’s Olympia delle Tofane course.
The experienced and adaptable athlete will surely overcome the complicated conundrum, continuing to inspire not only her loyal fans in the Czech Republic and beyond, but most likely anyone who has ever stepped into a pair of skis or ridden a snowboard down an icy mountain.
She certainly stands alone in her accomplishments – and it seems high time to start recognizing her as one of the best female athletes in the world.
