Her absence from last weekend's Norwegian championships raised plenty of questions. Now Silje Opseth has answered them herself: the 27-year-old is pregnant and will sit out the entire 2026/27 World Cup season, including the World Championships. The ski jumper broke the news to Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Monday evening, and the Norwegian Ski Federation confirmed it. "I have good news. The short version is that I'm pregnant," Opseth said.
Norway's head of ski jumping, Jan-Erik Aalbu, was quick to rule out any talk of retirement. "Silje is clear that this does not mean the end of her career. The ambition is to return to ski jumping after giving birth," he said. Opseth put it more bluntly: "I'm not finished."
A rare diagnosis: "Now or never"
Behind the announcement lies a deeply personal story that Opseth shared with NRK. She was diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), a condition in which the body stops producing eggs and the related hormones far earlier than normal. An ultrasound showed only a single visible follicle, compared with the 15 to 20 typically seen in a woman her age. According to NTNU professor Mette Haase Moen, POI affects fewer than one in 1,000 women of Opseth's age. Genetic testing found no hereditary cause.
For years the Norwegian had struggled with symptoms she could not explain: severe menstrual pain, irregular cycles, mood swings and uncontrolled weight gain. The diagnosis hit hard, and she described the days that followed as a period of many tears. Her conclusion, though, was clear: if she ever wanted children, it was now or never. She called the positive pregnancy test a small miracle. "When she decides something, there's only one direction – forward," her partner Mathias Harstad told NRK.
Stepping away in top form
The timing is striking from a sporting point of view. Opseth looked sharp this summer, finishing second and third at the Summer Grand Prix in Wisła in August. Her unexplained absence from the national championships in Oslo had fuelled speculation about health problems.
Ski JumpingKnee trouble forces Pius Paschke out of German championshipsThe IL Holeværingen athlete has been one of the defining figures in women's ski jumping for years. She has won seven individual World Cup events and collected three team medals at World Championships: bronze in Seefeld in 2019, plus mixed team silver and women's team bronze in Oberstdorf in 2021. On 17 March 2024 she flew 230.5 metres in Vikersund to set a women's ski flying world record that stood for almost a year.
Still part of the team
Opseth will not disappear from the Norwegian setup this winter. The federation intends to draw on her experience even though she will not compete. "Her experience, commitment and role in the group make her an important resource," Aalbu said, adding: "This is first and foremost fantastic news for Silje and her family. At the same time, it's a reminder that life is about more than results and competitions."
For Norway's women's team, losing her in a World Championship winter is still a significant blow. Her road back will not be straightforward either: according to skispringen.com, only two female ski jumpers have previously returned to competition after giving birth – Helena Olsson Smeby, who competed at the 2014 Olympics, and Caroline Rochas. German outlet t-online reports that Opseth is targeting a return for the 2027/28 season.
