Biathlon: Karoline Knotten still doesn’t understand the Norwegian staff’s decision
Last April, we learned to everyone’s surprise that Karoline Knotten, one of the pillars of the Norwegian national biathlon team’s women’s squad, had been sidelined by the Scandinavian authorities. Not necessarily in agreement with her coaches on certain points of the summer preparation, the 30-year-old biathlete had in fact been ousted by the coaches of the Nordic kingdom.
A few weeks after being sidelined, the Norwegian is still struggling to understand the decision: “It’s hard not to take it personally when you don’t understand and don’t really grasp the arguments used to oust me,” she admits to TV2.
“When things started to get complicated, I asked myself if I’d like to work in an environment where I wouldn’t be welcome”.Karoline Knotten on TV2
Fortunately, the recent silver medallist in the women’s relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide (Norway) was able to count on the invaluable support of her mother, who came all the way from the United States to be at her daughter’s bedside. The fact that she’s here means a lot to me,” admits Karoline Knotten. I have a good circle of people who look after me. I don’t feel alone and we’re moving forward together.
And despite this day-to-day help, the Scandinavian still asked herself a few questions about continuing her career: “When things started to get complicated, I asked myself if I’d like to work in an environment where I wouldn’t be welcome”, she confides.
But convinced that she still has a lot to prove on the international stage, Karoline Knotten got a little closer to Roger Grubben, former coach of the Norwegian team who has worked with her for many years. The native of Tromsø (Norway) has also been able to count on the support of many members of the circuit and former glories of the discipline such as Marte Olsbu Roeiseland and Tiril Eckhoff: “I admired them and tried to learn from them. It meant a lot to me that they thought I deserved a bit more support,” she says.
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