An Olympic skier has opened up about the excruciating pain of suffering a frozen penis—not once, but twice—during intense competitions in sub-zero conditions.
Remi Lindholm, 27, represented Finland in the Men's 50km Cross-Country Skiing event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, one of the most physically demanding disciplines, where athletes can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour.
Due to extreme winds and freezing temperatures that year, the race distance was reduced to 30km. Lindholm finished in 28th place, but his toughest battle wasn’t against his competitors—it was against the brutal -17°C cold that left him with a frozen manhood.
“It was all about pushing through,” he admitted. “But when my body started to warm up after the race, the pain was unbearable.”
Officials provided him with a heat bag to help thaw his frozen body parts, but this wasn’t his first experience with the painful condition.
Lindholm had already suffered the same affliction during the Ruka World Cup the previous year. Comparing the two incidents, he told the Mirror, “It was worse this time—pretty unbearable pain.”
Despite his recent success, finishing second in the Finlandia Ski Marathon Freestyle, it remains uncertain whether Lindholm will brave the elements again at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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