Cross-country skiing : Kristine Stavaas Skistad is back in training
On 12 November, the Norwegian Ski Association revealed that Kristine Stavaas Skistad had undergone stomach surgery and that the Norwegian would not be at the start of the opening cross-country races in Beitostølen (Norway) or the World Cup races in Ruka (Finland), which begin this Friday.
Two weeks after the announcement, her personal trainer Lage Sofienlund gave Nettavisen an update on his protégée: “We talk every day. She told me that she used to tremble when she was sitting at home watching skiing on TV. She would have liked to have been there last weekend“,he confided.
While the Scandinavian “remains active and trains”, as her coach explains, her team-mates would have liked to fly to Ruka with the sprint specialist. “I was shocked when I heard about her operation. I’m sorry for her, says Lotta Udnes Weng. It’s a hard blow to take before the start of the season.“
An opinion inevitably shared by Marit Bjoergen, who has been coaching the national team since this spring: “It’s a shame but, from now on, we have to make sure that she does things properly and that we can have her with us without worrying about her injury“, adds the former cross-country skier with eighty-four individual World Cup victories.
For the time being, Kristine Stavaas Skistad is not yet guaranteed a place in Lillehammer (Norway), the second stage of the season, according to her coach. “We’re still putting things in place in training these days. When these things are working in training, we’ll then be able to determine which races she’ll be able to take part in“, he says. The first thing is to train well.“
Read also
- Kristine Stavaas Skistad withdraws from Ruka World Cup after stomach operation
- Against all the odds, Kristine Stavaas Skistad finally joins the Norwegian national team
