Cross-country skiing: Hugo Lapalus hit but not sunk in Trondheim
On Tuesday, in the snow of Trondheim ( Norway), Hugo Lapalus equalled his best career performance at the world cross-country skiing championships. Unfortunately, it wasn ‘t an eleventh-place finish that the Frenchman was looking for in this 10-kilometre individual classic. The in-form Cluse was aiming for a first individual world medal.
Obviously disappointed after missing out, the Haut-Savoyard nevertheless took the time to talk to Nordic Magazine about his performance.
- To begin with, tell us about today’s Dantean conditions…
The conditions were quite difficult today. It was a complicated race. You really had to have fine skis with all the snow that had fallen. We knew it was going to be a difficult race from the start anyway. After that, I wasn’t too worried about it. I rather like it when it’s difficult, but I don’t think I managed to adapt today in these snow conditions.
- What did you miss in this type of snow?
I didn’t manage to get the skiing I needed. I felt pretty good today. Following on from these World Championships, I felt good and warm. And that was also the case on the skis during the race. I think that my style of skiing and my way of skiing don’t suit this type of snow at all. You have to be a lot gentler and manage things without trying to put too much into everything. I tend to ski a bit more electrically. I don’t think that was the right way to ski today.
As a result, I found myself a minute behind the winner at the finish. It hurts. I’m not looking for excuses or reasons. It’s just that I wasn’t up to scratch. I didn’t manage to adapt properly to these conditions. That’s eleventh place and it’s not what I came here for. The post-race was difficult.
“Today, I wasn’t at my best on this type of snow”.Hugo Lapalus at Nordic Magazine
- But isn’t it unnatural to ski differently from your usual way?
You also have to know how to adapt. I think you can do your skiing, you can adapt by keeping the basics of your skiing. It was possible to run over some of the bumps on the course but not over the whole track. It had to be fluid and long. It wasn’t about getting excited, it was about managing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that. Today, I wasn’t at my best on this type of snow. It’s also a question of the weather. The Scandinavians do it very well, we do it a bit less. It’s a shame because it makes for a poor race.
- How did you manage your race when you were aware of the growing gaps with the leaders?
I did tell myself to leave fairly quickly. We’d talked beforehand. It’s a track where you have to be in contact right away because it’s really difficult to get back what you’ve lost. So from the first climb, I had to be there and in contact. At the top of the first climb, I was already around ten seconds behind. I know that’s not insurmountable, but I also know that it’s not the right dynamic.
In the rest of the race, I just kept losing time, especially to [Edvin] Anger who was the athlete I was looking out for as he was playing up front. I know that as the race goes on, the medal is out of my reach. But I’m trying to get myself motivated again because a lot of people got up this morning to ski. All the staff are here and I can’t just give up and tell myself that’s all I came for. I couldn’t just throw in a tantrum and call it a day. I still wanted to finish this race in the best possible way.
“It’s really frustrating and a bit sad too”.Hugo Lapalus at Nordic Magazine
- Did you manage to get yourself motivated again despite the disappointment of no longer being in the running for a medal?
I didn’t come here for that and, as I often say, I don’t really care whether I finish fourth or sixtieth in the Worlds. But in my state of mind, I wanted to keep fighting. There are still other races to come and I wanted to keep up that fighting spirit. I just had to keep going, keep trying and keep concentrating. I was trying to keep that focus, but it’s not easy when you put a lot of ambition into a race. That’s part of the game and part of the law of sport. Sometimes you have good days and bad days. It’s a shame to have a bad day at a World Championship, but that’s the way it is.
- We can tell that this collective sharing was close to your heart…
It’s an individual race, but you don’t just race for yourself. Obviously, I wanted to do it for myself because that’s what I’m training for and I wanted to show that I can do it. But it’s also for the team as a whole, for the coaches, trainers, technicians and the other guys in the team. We train together all year round and this is also a reward that we can give to everyone. As a result, it’s clear that our feelings after the race are mixed because we didn’t live up to our potential. I think it’s a bit the same for everyone. When you miss out on a race, especially at a World Championship, you have expectations and when those expectations aren’t met, it’s really frustrating and a bit sad too.
- Will a disappointment like this stand you in good stead for the rest of your career?
I hadn’t experienced disappointments like that for a while. I was lucky enough to always succeed in what I set out to do, or more or less anyway. It’s often gone very well in recent years. Of course, I’m going to make the most of this poor performance and this race that didn’t live up to my expectations. I think you have to go through that to move forward and grow. It always hurts. These are never good times. But I think you have to go through them. There’s no such thing as a career without these moments, or apart from a few exceptions. For us, I have the impression that we’re ‘obliged’ to go through it and to have ups and downs. And these lows will make the highs that much better.
- From now on, the relay could become a major objective. Is this your chance to get back into the team race that’s so close to your heart?
If I take part in this relay, I’ll really want to give everything I’ve got on this track for the guys. After that, you have to be careful not to get into a bad dynamic. I don’t want to say to myself that I want to put in a lot to get even because there’s a big team and there are other guys with me. You have to be clever, but it’s definitely going to help me. I don’t want to dwell on it. There are still some great races at these World Championships, especially the relay.
“The appointment is now on Thursday”.Hugo Lapalus at Nordic Magazine
- Has the disappointment already set in?
I’m going to dwell on it a bit more today, but from tomorrow onwards, I’m going to move on to something else and very quickly move on to the next thing, because I don’t want to dwell on it. In any case, it’s over. The next appointment is Thursday.
Read also
- Trondheim: after the sprint and skiathlon, Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo claimed his third consecutive world title in the individual classic, with Hugo Lapalus and Rémi Bourdin in the top 15.
- Offensive and eleventh in the skiathlon at the Worlds, Hugo Lapalus wanted to be out in front in Trondheim: “I had to try today”.
- Alexandre Rousselet reviews the French performances after the first week of the Trondheim Worlds
