Who was the first person to win an Olympic gold and have a hit single?
I’ve never quite understood why music and sport get lumped together in conversations. Sure, they’re both examples of culture, but the reality is that hit singles and the Olympics are entirely separate worlds.
You’ve probably never heard of an artist pulling out of events because their guitar-playing has made their fingers too sore, or a sportsperson sitting the season out because they’ve got a bit of a hoarse voice. All of this is to say that they are completely different fields, different skills, different beasts, where never the two shall cross.
Unless, of course, that is, if you’re Tina Maze. The name may not be as instantly familiar on the ear as a Serena Williams or Cristiano Ronaldo, but this is a woman who has successfully completed a feat that many can’t even begin to fathom. She has both an Olympic gold medal and a hit single.
This needs some context. Maze is a big deal in her home nation of Slovenia, where she is the most decorated alpine ski racer in the country’s history, winning a massive 26 World Cup races over the course of her career, and this then culminated in four medals at the Winter Olympics, two of which were gold in 2014.
But as if that wasn’t enough to be happy with, Maze has more sides to her than just her sporting prowess. Indeed, at the height of her career in 2012, she released a pop single named ‘My Way is My Decision’. It might have seemed like a random turn of events for some – well, most – people, but as the Slovenian masses went wild for their newfound star, it was really Maze’s fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
What made Tina Maze turn to music?
Firing out a hit pop tune at the same time as you’re training on the slopes for the biggest competitions of your life is certainly a less common method of stress release. Yet for Maze, the song was the manifestation of childhood dreams being met with current success, and it spoke volumes in the title itself about her motto for living life.
The skier later explained that she had played piano when she was at primary school, and in this sense, always had some level of musical passion sitting on the back burner. Recording ‘My Way is My Decision’ during preparation for her next sporting season, it was an emphatic declaration of pride in herself, but also a revelation of more strings to her bow.
Needless to say, when their favourite sports star turned rock star, it sent the Slovenian population into a tailspin. Eventually landing at number 12 on the country’s charts, it wasn’t a bad effort for a sonic novice whose skillset belonged in an entirely different game. But then again, Maze’s story does get you thinking from an altered perspective.
Maybe rehearsing for a show is a bit like training to go out on the Olympic stage. Maybe all the injuries, tiredness, and sacrifices along the way are quite similar. Maybe recording a song is not so different from being an athlete. Maze is one dominating example, but it doesn’t mean others should necessarily follow suit. Just look at Eric Cantona.
