“If you fall, get back up again!”
Laura Nolte is the youngest Olympic bobsleigh champion in history. She wants to win her next medals in Cortina. An interview about goals, motivation and failure.
Interview: Anja Leuschner,
27.01.2026 
Laura Nolte will never forget the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing: together with pusher Deborah Levi, she won the Olympic gold medal, making her the youngest Olympic bobsleigh champion in history. In February 2026, she will be taking part in the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina. We met the 27-year-old during a training session in Frankfurt am Main, where she now lives.
You won gold at the 2022 Olympics. Is it even possible to top that?
Whenever I think back to Beijing, it still gives me goosebumps. It was such an amazing moment - even today I still can’t really describe how it felt. But that’s far from the end for me. I came fourth in the monobob in 2022 so I want to win a medal in that discipline this year. The Games in Beijing were made more difficult by the Covid-19 pandemic and took place without any spectators at all. To be able to win another medal and then share the moment with family and friends would be the greatest thing ever.
You are a competitive athlete and have to train six days a week. What do you do when you simply aren’t in the mood at all?
Of course, I get those days too. But I’m always driven by my goals. I won’t reach them if I don’t train. It’s hard work, and on some days I really have to force myself through the training session, but then I think about how I want to win that medal and I give everything I’ve got.
Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
Bobsleigh can also be a dangerous sport, and you yourself have had your share of accidents. Do some runs scare you?
I’ve more of a healthy respect for some runs than for others. Especially those I’ve already crashed on. It always helps me then to remember all the many runs where everything went fine.
You have achieved an awful lot at a very young age and have so far been extremely successful in following your path. What advice would you give to others with big dreams?
No matter what it is, just do it! That’s the best advice I can give. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. I had so many crashes at first and many coaches and other athletes told me I would never be a good bobsleigh athlete. But I got up again every time. If you fall, get back up again! Every single time. I have done that many times during my career and today I’m one of the world’s best bobsleigh athletes.
