In this issue of Vu de Trondheim
Cross-country skiing: Marit Bjørgen promoted before the sprint
Sjur Ole Svarstad, coach of the women’s cross-country skiing team, has called in sick for the start of the Nordic World Ski Championships. He hopes to be back soon, at the latest this weekend or next week, but in the meantime, his assistant will take the reins of the team for today’s sprint.
Marit Bjørgen has therefore been promoted to the rank of replacement head coach. It’s very exciting for me,” the former cross-country skier told NRK. We have a very good team lined up for the sprint. We’re strong enough to fight for a podium. We’re not the big favourites, but it could be to our advantage.
Ski jumping: Robert Johansson talks about his late selection
Halvor Egner Granerud was injured in training this weekend , meaning he had to say goodbye to the Trondheim World Championships. A replacement had to be found at short notice and, following his good results in the COC at Iron Mountain (USA), Robert Johansson was selected.
I was called on Monday morning by Magnus Brevig, who told me the news,” he tells Dagbladet. I’m obviously sorry for Halvor, it’s always hard to be injured like that, but I called him and he didn’t sound too down. As for me, I don’t intend to just lie around in the hotel, I’m aiming to be one of the four jumpers on the starting line for Norway, I just need to deliver some good jumps like I know how.”
Optimistic and motivated, Robert Johansson will not be taking part in his first World Championships. He has already taken part in several editions, as well as the Olympic Games and the Ski Jumping Championships. ” He’s experienced, he knows what’s expected of him and he’s deserved this place,” concludes Jan-Erik Aalbu, sports director of the Norwegian jumping team.
Nordic Combined: Jarl Magnus Riiber’s last World Championships
These will be the last World Championships for Jarl Magnus Riiber, who has announced his retirement at the end of the winter. And what better way to end the Championships than on home soil? Or in any case, in Norway. After all, the Nordic Combined actually lives in Oslo with his wife and children. Result: in reality, the Norwegian has only been home for one week since October.
“I don’t think my son even knows who I am any more,” he joked about his eldest son to TV2. On a more serious note, the number 1 in Nordic combined admits that he misses his children, especially now that his eldest son is aware of his father’s absence. ” He wants me to come home, and that motivates me even more to compete well in Trondheim, bring home a medal and then go home to him,” confided Riiber.
His entire family is also planning to be in Trondheim to cheer him on from the stands. ” On the other hand, we’ll have very little contact, no hugs for example, I have to be careful of germs”, explains the athlete who has finally managed to have several weeks of training without injury or illness.
The beautiful story: the South African who skied for love
Matthew Smith is attracting a lot of attention at the Trondheim World Championships. It has to be said that his yellow and green jumpsuit and the country he represents are unusual on the cross -country ski slopes. Yesterday, the athlete represented South Africa!
The 34-year-old South African has only been cross-country skiing for 2 years. He actually fell in love with the sport when he moved to Norway… for love. ” I moved to Norway for a girl, it didn’t end well but I found someone else and I stayed,” he tells NRK. His fiancée, Cécilie, is pregnant.
As for cross-country skiing, he took it up to meet new friends in Norway. ” It’s the best way to integrate and feel welcome in Norway,” he says . After meeting the Mexican Allan Corona Rodriguez, who has represented his country several times in world competitions, Smith had the idea of doing the same for South Africa.
In fact, he has moved close to the Holmenkollen tracks to be able to train even better. He is also part of a group with around forty other athletes from smaller nations with whom he sometimes trains. ” We’re united by the fact that we’re not Scandinavian but still love cross-country skiing,” he says.
The aim of all this work? To qualify for the World Championships and also for next year’s Olympic Games. Taking part in the Trondheim 10km would be just the ticket.
Unfortunately, with a 39th place finish in yesterday’s qualifying race, just behind his friend Allan Corona Rodriguez, Matthew Smith will have to wait a little longer before facing the world’s cross-country skiing elite.
In a nutshell
- Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Erik Valnes, Even Northug, Matz William Jenssen and Håvard Solås Taugbøl will be taking part in the men’s sprint for Norway. For the women, Kristine Stavås Skistad, Julie Myhre, Mathilde Myhrvold and Lotta Udnes Weng have been selected.
- Ida Marie Hagen, Gyda Westvold Hansen, Marte Leinan Lund and Ingrid Låte will take part in the first Nordic combined event of the World Championships today.
- The first ski jumping medals will be up for grabs on Friday. The objective is clearly announced for the Norwegian team represented by Eirin Maria Kvandal, Anna Odine Strøm, Ingvild Mitdskogen and Heidi Dyhre Traaserud: to win a medal. Kvandal will be the team favourite, and she is hoping for nothing less than a medal in the small jump competition.
- The Nordic combined team has had its Instagram account deleted. It has been impossible to access it since Monday: a real glitch at the start of the World Championships, and one of the easiest ways for the team to communicate with its fans, as it is already suffering from the non-broadcasting of several of its World Cups.
- The Swedish and Finnish media accused the Norwegians of trying to sabotage the other teams by delaying the cross-country skiers’ training because of an icy track. The organisers denied these allegations on TV2. ” It’s not an advantage for anyone not to be able to train, it’s unfortunately the weather,” concluded TV2 expert Petter Skinstad.
- At the press conference, Lotta Udnes Weng poked fun at Kristine Stavås Skistad and the mystery surrounding her, responding to a question about her team-mate’s personality by saying: “We don’t know, we don’t know her”.” I hope she understands that because she’s a great team-mate and we love training with her when she’s here,” Weng told NRK.
- King Harald V has postponed his visit to Trondheim. The Royal House of Norway has announced that he is ill.
- All tickets for the World Championships are almost sold out. Of the 220,000 tickets available, less than 20,000 remain. This bodes well for the organisers, who held the opening ceremony last night.
