I am Alvar Johannes Alev, a cross-country skier from Jõesuu village in Pärnu County. I started skiing at the age of 7 at Jõulu Ski Club under coach Johannes Toim, and my athletic journey since then has been quite an adventure. After finishing basic school, I went on to study at Audentes Sports School in Otepää, and in 2013, upon graduating from upper secondary school, I made the Estonian (junior) national team for the first time. Until autumn 2017, I lived and trained in Otepää with the Estonian national team, until I received a sports scholarship offer from the University of Colorado in the USA, where I began competing for the university ski team and studying. Three eye-opening and very successful years at university later, my sporting path took me to Norway, the world's leading skiing nation, and that is where my true professional career began. Over the last five years, I have managed to climb from the bottom of the results sheet to the heels of the world's best, and my big goal is to break into the top 10 in the 50 km classic at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympic Games.
During my 24-year athletic career, I have competed at the Beijing Olympic Games, four World Championships and numerous World Cup stages. In addition to several Estonian national titles, I have finished 2nd at the NCAA collegiate championships, and over the past year I have repeatedly reached the world's top 20 at both World Cup stages and the World Championships. My most notable results include 12th place at the Davos World Cup, 19th place at the Trondheim World Championships and 24th place in the Tour de Ski overall standings.
I have been using a Garmin watch and Oakley glasses for years. The new Forerunner 970 helps me raise the quality of my training even further through newer and more accurate recovery modes and features. The new OAKLEY Sphaera Matte Clear Photochromic glasses get a lot of use during the darker period at the start of the season and on days with poor visibility, both in races and in training.
Follow Alvar:
Instagram: instagram.com/alvaralev/
Alvar's gear:
