Nathaniel Mah ends his career
May 14, 2020·Nordic Combined
The in recent years sole Canadian Nordic Combined athlete Nathaniel Mah has decided to end his career.
“When I was 3 years old I looked up at the ski jumps at Canada Olympic Park and told my mom, “I want to go off those”. Little did I know it would spark an 18-year long journey in the pursuit of becoming one of the best Nordic Combined athletes in the world. Though this journey did not come without speed bumps and adversity. I have always believed that with hard work and a dream I would be able to beat the odds and be the Canadian that was able to beat the system and have success at the highest level of the sport. And though I was able to have some success, I feel that I have reached a point in my career where I feel it is no longer possible to reach the next level without the support and help that I have never received. With this realization, I have made the most difficult decision to retire”, Mah wrote in a lengthy farewell letter posted on his social media channels.
24-year-old Mah competed on the World and Continental Cup circuits since 2011 and represented his country at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld (2019) and Lahti (2017). Mah was a also part of the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012.
“As one journey ends, another begins, my plan is to begin my post-secondary education with the hopes of working as a physiotherapist or chiropractor. So many have helped me with injuries and kept my body running. I hope to be able to provide future athletes with the help and support I received (talking ‘bout you Aaron!). I also hope to be involved with the future of Nordic Combined in Canada. I hope and believe I will not be the last Canadian Nordic Combined athlete, there are still many young jumpers out there looking for a new facility to call home. I plan to help make that possible and allow these athletes to continue to grow as the future of the sport, and hopefully begin to help organizations such as Canadian Sport Institution, and Own the Podium, realize how development in sport, and longevity will have a greater impact on results, then just supporting the few at the top”, Mah concluded his letter.
Find his full post here:
