Combined: Hansen and Riber win the opening match in Betostolen
Ghida Westfold Hansen won the inaugural women’s 5km combined event in Betostölen on Saturday. In the men’s 10 km race, Jarl Magnus Reber finished 1.51 minutes ahead of Jens-Lauras Oftebro and Jürgen Graback, who cruised to second.
Mart Lennan-Lund was second in the 5k, 33.8sec behind Hansen. Ida Marie Hagen followed in third place, 50.6 seconds behind the winner.
– It felt good. It was good for me to run, and the body was nice. I’m really looking forward to the season. Cross-country skiing is a lot of fun, Hansen told NRK, so I’m looking forward to competing more.
– It’s been a good trip through. It was exactly how I wanted it, said Reaper, who beat the competitors, but of course it’s more fun to walk in a field.
The Norwegian mixed girls wore beards during the joint opening on Saturday. They did this to send a message to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is closing the door on women at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
– We think it’s totally ridiculous that you should look like this or have a beard to allow you to compete in the Olympics. We hope we can do something about it,” well-combined Norwegian star Westfold Hansen told NRK.
The boys also participated together in marking before the start.
– We count on girls getting involved and getting a chance to start in the Olympic Games. We want to be involved in supporting that campaign. I think it’s hard for them to start something like that, said Reaper.
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