Norwegian sprinters have won 20 of the 23 World Cup individual races so far this season and the gold medal at the World Cup.
When the 10 km freestyle was run in Toblach, the Norwegian runners took the first seven places.
On Ski Friday at the World Ski Championships, there was a Norwegian quad, while Swede William Buruma (22) was the best of the rest. He admits that it is a scanty consolation.
– I think that’s it. They are strong, the Norwegians, they just have to be congratulated, he told TV2 after the race.
TV 2’s cross-country expert Peter Skeenstad believes the competitors should step up.
Petter Skinstad believes Sweden and Finland must take their share of the blame for the Norwegian dominance on the men’s side of cross-country skiing. Photo: Yngve Sem Pedersen/TV 2
– If anyone really needs to work together, it’s Sweden and Finland, at least in the short term. They have many athletes to take down, good results in the beginner’s water course, breadth of interest and cross-country skiing, says TV 2’s cross-country skiing expert.
Foreign skating directors believe that Norwegian dominance can be an interest destroyer. Several suggested that Norway should have fewer runners at the start, and that the countries should cooperate in lubricating the skis.
That’s why Frank Locke walks 70 km in Paris
in the wrong way
Petter Skinstad passes the ball to the opponents. Especially to our closest neighbours, who have historically been Norway’s biggest competitors.
What they have to do among the men in Sweden and Finland is accept that they have been left behind. They have great lube trailers and big lube teams. They have hundreds of thousands of spectators at the ski races and there is great interest among sponsors and the public, says the cross-country expert.
While the Swedish women are delivering strong results, taking all the podium spots during the first toilet exercise and are the favorites in the next distances, the men are struggling to do the same.
The Swedish men have only been on the podium five times this season. From Finland, only Iivo Niskanen was in the top three. Photo: Marco Bertorello
Despite the fact that the resources are on par with the level in Norway, neither Sweden nor Finland have a men’s national team that comes close to matching the breadth of the Norwegian national team.
They should put their fingers in the ground to see that everything is in place here for us to perform, but we can’t do that. Why? Then they have to look at what is being done in training. They’re on the wrong track there, Skinstad says, not producing enough distance runners good guys to match the level of international cross-country skiing.
Choice of restroom: – has every reason to be disappointed
Not training well
The Swedish men have come to the podium four times in individual races this season. Kali Halvarsson (33) and William Buruma each have two podium spots.
Finland’s only real medal candidate at the men’s World Cup, Ivo Niskanen, has struggled with illness this season, but finished second in the 20km classic in France in early February. In doing so, he secured the first place on the podium for the Finnish men.
Among others, Marcus Hillner became the world sprint champion in Oslo in 2011, when Peter Northug took silver and Emil Johnson bronze. Photo: Matthias Schrader
– It wasn’t long ago that Markus Hellner, Emil Johnson, Theodor Peterson, Daniel Rickardsson, Anders Södergren and Johan Olsson were in Sweden. At the time they had all of these contestants at the same time.
Finland also had Sami Juhojärvi and Matti Häkkinen as well as Ivo Niskanen. That means, Skinstad points out, that they were able to win the team sprint during the Olympics in 2014.
Sami Juhojarvi and Ivo Niskanen with their gold medals proving themselves to become Olympic champions in the relay in 2014. Photo: Ante Imo-Koivisto
The podium positions that the Swedes have delivered recently are largely due to individual skill, not good coaching work over time in Sweden, Skenstad believes.
– There will never be enough show, you are relying heavily on exceptional talents like Halfvarsson, Poromaa and Edvin Anger. They have something extra that makes them better than the rest. What they present, says Skenstad, is not the result of a community.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
