Cross-country skiing: Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo caught up in his emotions
The Trondheim World Championships come to an end on Sunday. For ten days, the athletes will have gone through all the colours of the rainbow. There are those who will have shone and others who will return home with the feeling that they missed out. ” We’re going to have to pick ourselves up, ” said Jules Chappaz after the sprint team. “ It’s hard to miss out”, agreed Richard Jouve. ” The after-race was difficult”, said Hugo Lapalus after the 10km classic.
The investment is so great – the world championships only take place every two years – that it’s not unusual for emotions to get the better of you.
There have been many tears since the start of the races. On Friday, Kristin Austgulen Fosnæs broke down after the finish line. The Norwegian had just lost thirty-seven seconds in her relay, allowing her Swedish rivals to triumph. The day before, it was a Swede who had literally collapsed. Truls Gisselman had crashed on a descent just before launching his team-mate, while skiing in second position behind Norway. ” It was supposed to be a really good day, but it turned out to be probably the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my life,” he said in tears, as reported by Expressen.
Truls Gisselman i tårar efter VM-bronset i herrarnas stafett 🫶🏆 pic.twitter.com/Dpd0QULkNW– Viaplay Vinter (@ViaplayVinter) March 6, 2025
After the skiathlon, Jan Thomas Jenssen ‘s shell also cracked. In his home town, he finished in fourth place, narrowly missing out on the bronze medal after a close finish. A photo finish was needed to separate the Norwegians competing for silver and bronze.
And so it was that he appeared in the mixed zone on the edge of his seat. When a journalist asked him how he felt, he burst into tears. “I’ll remember this day until the day I die. I was supposed to be on the podium today. And I’m almost there. I’m proud. Proud to be here,” he said.
A reporter from the daily Dagbladet in Granåsen reported that Sweden’s Jonna Sundling left the stadium shaken after the skiathlon flower ceremony. Just like Therese Johaug when she realised that the gold had slipped from her hands and landed inEbba Andersson‘s lap, or Frida Karlsson, in fourth place: “It’s rubbish”, she toldAftonbladet.
In the same race,Astrid Oeyre Slind ‘s eyes were similarly moist after her ski slipped during the ski change and her chances of a medal were ruined.
In the individual race, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget also lost his footing after crossing the finish line. He had fallen while fighting for a place in the top 3. ” I’m missing the chance of a lifetime”, he told VG.
At the World Championships, we didn’t just sob after stumbling. At the skiathlon medal ceremony, Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo found it hard to hold back his tears. The King of Trondheim was very emotional as he was honoured for his first world distance title. Little did he know that he was on his way to a grand slam. Now all he has to do is win the 50km.
If Erik Valnes also cried, it was with joy. After winning a silver medal in the 10km classic, he isolated himself under the snowflakes and buried his face against a fence. Suffering from back pain, the Scandinavian was unable to take part in the sprint. The pain was too great. So he came back from the dead.
So the World Championships are both heaven and hell.
