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How Emil Johansson mentally prepares for Crankworx Slopestyle
What kind of pressure does four back-to-back wins at Crankworx Slopestyle bring? Swedish Slopestyle star Emil Johansson shares his insights.
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Emil Johansson from Trollhättan, Sweden, came into the first Crankworx Slopestyle of 2021 with three back-to-back wins and unbeaten since Red Bull Joyride back in August 2019. Praised by commentators, judges and fans alike, the 21-year-old has climbed his way to the top of the Slopestyle ladder, putting down one insane run after the next. No longer an underdog, Emil is now 100 percent the man to beat.
So it’s safe to say that all eyes were on him ahead of Crankworx Slopestyle in Innsbruck. But somehow, the bike riding magician that is Johansson managed to put all that pressure aside and nail his dream run, walking away with yet another gold medal.
It leaves us all wondering, is Johansson unaffected by pressure? How does he actually deal with his winning streak and the pressure that comes with it? We caught up with him after his big win to find out.
5 min
Emil Johansson's winning slopestyle run – Innsbruck
Enjoy the display of slopestyle perfection from Emil Johansson that won him gold at Crankworx Innsbruck.
All the latest news from Crankworx Innsbruck
How did it feel coming into Innsbruck as the number one?
It’s definitely tougher coming in as the man to beat as you no longer feel like an underdog with nothing to lose. But to be honest, I still don’t feel like I’ve got anything to lose. With that said, it's still a different feeling for sure, or pressure if you’d like, to be the one that people want to beat.
Do you feel the pressure and how do you deal with it?
Yes and no. I think it’s more the pressure I put on myself because I want to perform at the level I know I can, that is what’s tough and challenging. Not what people expect me to do.
Making the huge jumps look effortless
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
I do prepare myself mentally ahead of competitions, but I feel like it's a very individual and personal process – to find what works and what doesn’t. You have to find your own way to do it.
For me, I work on the mental part of it every day simply by being on my bike. The mental part is constant to me and the more time I spend on the bike the more I challenge and build up my mental strength as well. Slopestyle is a very challenging and testing sport so you definitely need to have your competition head on for the day.
Emil and Erik Fedko congratulating each other
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
I was struggling with a trick during both my runs that I never otherwise struggle with
You said during the live feed that you’ve been thinking about your run for months. Does that build extra pressure?
It’s challenging for sure, both mentally and physically. Because even though I know that I’ve put in the hours and done the training, sometimes that isn’t enough. It’s a very fine line between getting down a course and crashing out.
Some things you can’t control. For example, I was struggling with a trick during both my runs that I never otherwise struggle with. And it’s stuff like that, that you can’t just train for because you can never predict it. So yeah, of course, I put pressure on myself.
Emil against Innsbruck's stunning backdrop
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
The trick you mentioned took you out on your first run. Did you ever consider not doing it in your second run?
It was a very tricky situation, crashing out like that on the first run. In a perfect world, I would have nailed it and been able to step things up even more for my second run. Now, I had to go for an all-or-nothing kind of second run.
But I decided not to change anything because I’d been planning it all week and knew I could do it. I didn’t want to take things down a notch, because I didn’t want to back down from my own potential – what I knew I could do.
Less than a minute from top to bottom and no idea how it's going to go
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
It’s less than a minute top to bottom – from dropping in, to crossing the finish line. All that training you’ve put down and you have no idea what the result's gonna be. But I had my vision and knew I could do it. So I went for it. Win or lose.
How do you mentally prepare for dropping into your second run?
There wasn't much time between crashing out on my first run to dropping in on my second. I just headed back up to the start and tried to approach it all over again. I couldn't really do more than that. I did do some warm-up stuff on the parking lot to get myself psyched.
Most people need slow motion to understand what goes on during Emil's run
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
My plan is to keep developing and see how far it can take me
Describe the feeling after crossing the finish line?
It was a huge relief. People always ask "are you happy?", but honestly my biggest feeling is always relief. Of course, I‘m happy – I’m stoked about my run – but when you’ve been thinking about doing something for so long and you finally do it, it's such a relief.
Now you have four straight wins to your name, how does it feel?
Honestly, it’s pretty incomprehensible. It’s one thing to have a good season, but now I’m on my third consecutive season. To keep it up is definitely not something I can take for granted.
Can anyone take top step away from Emil this season?
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
My plan is to keep developing and see how far it can take me, how much better I can get. If it’s enough to keep winning, that is great but if not, I’m doing my best and I can’t do much more than that.
I feel like the sport is progressing with each competition and everyone is upping their game at every event, so you’ve definitely got to stay sharp and not take your skills for granted. It’s an individual sport and I can’t affect other riders' results, only my own. So that’s what I do. I am really looking forward to the rest of the season.
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