In Vu de Norge this week
Biathletes in support of Ingvild Flugstad Østberg
Ingvild Flugstad Østberg announced it last week: her state of fitness and her weight will not allow her to line up for the start of the World Cup. As she knows, this also greatly compromises her participation in the world championships in Trondheim next February. “I’m disappointed in myself, I have to change everything and even my body if I hope to come back one day”, she told the media.
The founder explained that she wasn’t eating enough and wanted to undergo a psychological assessment to find out whether or not she was suffering from an eating disorder.
Naturally, the reactions were swift. The Norwegian biathletes were keen to salute their compatriot. “It’s great that she’s talking openly about all this, we’re rarely judged and it can even help other people, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold told TV2. But we shouldn’t judge those who don’t succeed too harshly either, because that can be too hard a second battle in addition to the one against eating disorders.”
“It must be very difficult to expose yourself like that, and what she’s doing is very courageous, adds Ida Lien. It’s just a real shame for her that it has to be this way.”
An opinion shared by Østberg’s former team-mate, Marit Bjørgen. “Obviously, I would have loved to see her at the start this winter and in Trondheim, but the most important thing is that she’s better,” begins the retired and new assistant coach of the cross-country team.
“But her open-mindedness, the fact that she expresses herself like this in the media, I’m very proud of her and very impressed, says Bjørgen to the daily VG. It can help her, of course, but it can also help so many people.”
Helene Marie Fossesholm saved
Good news at last for Helene Marie Fossesholm! The cross-country skier will not need surgery for her knee injury.
As a reminder, she dislocated her kneecap during a football match in September. As a result, she had to adapt her training and was worried that she might have to undergo surgery and potentially miss the Trondheim Worlds.
“I’m relieved to finally have an answer after eight weeks of waiting, she says in a statement reported by NRK. I’ve been really careful in my training, I’ve adapted the exercises well and I’m glad it’s worked.”
If all goes well, she should be ready for the big winter event in Norway in February.
Norwegian cross-country skiers in trouble
The Norwegian cross-country skiing team is in the doldrums. On the men’s side, Didrik Tønseth was already out of the running and it is now Even Northug who finds himself in a tricky situation. The youngest of the siblings revealed to VG that he injured his back at the start of the summer. “It’s because I moved house,” he explains. My brother and I – not Petter, Tomas, because Petter is always useless at times like that – had to carry heavy loads and I shouldn’t have done that because I have prolapse problems which cause me back problems. What’s more, I did some high-intensity sessions, so it didn’t end well,” he concludes.
Still, he was smart enough to go and see a doctor quickly, who helped him get back on his feet and do training sessions adapted to his physical condition. “In September I was able to train properly, so I’m a lot more optimistic about the winter ahead than I was at the start of the summer,” says Even Northug, who has just one fear: getting injured in the middle of the season.
But he’s not the only one to have had a difficult last few months. Astrid Øyre Slind caught a bad cold at the end of the summer, which turned into a nasty cough. Her coach told her to go and see a doctor, who diagnosed her with whooping cough.
“Fortunately, my coach was quick to spot it,so Iwas treated quickly and avoided too many complications, she tells Dagbladet. Otherwise, I could have been coughing for 3 months to the point of vomiting, and that would have been the end of my season, if not my career.”
More fear than harm, however, for both Slind and Northug, who are both training and looking forward to the Beitostølen races in less than two weeks’ time.
Mari Leinan Lund talks about her injury
After the best season of her career, Mari Leinan Lund unfortunately suffered an injury at the end of the season. Several months later, the Norwegian is still not back on her feet. “All the competitions before Christmas will be without me,” she confided in an interview with the FIS.
After suffering a knee injury, the Nordic combined racer was afraid she would have to give up the entire season. “When I fell, it wasn’t just my knee that was shattered, but also my heart and my dreams for next winter, she says. Now thatthere’s hope of me going, I feel better, I’m hanging on and the fact that I fell in Trondheim doesn’t matter. If I can make it to the Worlds, I’ll take off from the springboard without a care in the world!”
In her interview with the FIS, Mari Leinan Lund also talks about her latest results and her goals. “My last winter was incredible and this year I hope to recover fully and then succeed in performing at the highest level if I’m ready in time,” she says.
As for the opportunity finally given to Nordic combined girls to compete on the big hill in Oslo this winter, the Norwegian is obviously delighted. “It’s a step in the right direction, it sets a good example for young girls who would like to do Nordic combined, it can make them dream, and I’ll be there, even if I can’t compete,” concludes Lund.
Does Petter Northug Jr really want to go to the Worlds?
He’s all over the media, everyone’s talking about him: will Petter Northug Jr make a comeback in the World Cup this year or not, and why not even at the Trondheim Worlds? But more importantly, does he really want to?
“Every day I wake up with messages about it, and I have to admit it makes me laugh a lot”, he tells NRK. The speculation is almost entirely his fault, as he has done nothing to deny it in the media. “I’m dreaming more about the podium in the Vasaloppet,” continues Northug.
As the foundryman keeps repeating: his chances of qualifying are so slim as to be virtually non-existent, so he’s not expecting anything on that front. But of course, the Mosvik Express can’t resist playing with the media… “I just don’t think it gets into people’s heads,” he laughs.
However, Petter Northug Jr himself admits that he hasn’t written off the possibility of going to Trondheim as anything other than a spectator. In fact, the start of his winter is organised around the World Cup. “But I still only have a 1% chance of going, let’s be clear about that,” he reminds us tirelessly.
Still, it’s not certain that the message got through.
He climbs Everest on ski-wheels
Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell is no novice. A former biathlete, the Norwegian never stops setting himself extraordinary challenges. In 2022, he crossed Norway on skis and wheels in 10 days. This summer, he tried to run from Paris to Rome , but unfortunately failed halfway due to injury.
Not enough to stop him. His new challenge? To rollerski up Everest. Or to be more precise, to make the ascent on a special indoor carpet, taking in a vertical drop of 8,849 m, the height of the world’s highest peak. It’s a feat known as “Everesting”, and it takes over 12 hours to complete, making him the first person to do it on skis and wheels. “The hardest part is the mental part , because this kind of challenge is very monotonous, you don’t really move, it’s very repetitive,” Ramsfjell tells NRK.
“He’s incredible! His stamina is impressive“, says Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen. “It’s a good thing he didn’t stay in biathlon at the top level, because that would have destroyed us. Above all, I wanted to see how far I could go, explains Ramsfjell. And it’s really nice to be able to do something that no one has ever done before.”
What’s on the agenda now? A little rest and then a new challenge, which the Norwegian is keeping secret for the time being.
