While his teammates were training in the mountains at Caesar’s Pain this week, Tarji Bo was left at the hotel with a concussion, fever and wounds all over his body.
The 33-year-old still feels he got away with a horror after two ugly fells just minutes away during a skating show in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Sunday.
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Both times, the strapping on the cylinder was loosened at high speed.
– I’ve been eliminated since I had a nose job. It’s a little better today, but Monday and Tuesday were pretty terrible. I banged my head, hard to sleep with all the wounds sticking everywhere. We were hot, cold, and sweaty around each other, so my body got a real strain,” Bo says.
He takes episodes very seriously
Stryningen is the last in a series of skaters who had an unpleasant experience this summer. The same thing happened during a ski show in Oslo, Blinkfestivalen and now in Wiesbaden – that the linkage was turned on without warning.
The common feature is that accidents have affected practitioners on Rotefella links. Earlier this week, organizer Toppidrettsveka announced that links from there will not be used during competitions next weekend.
Rotefella CEO, Torstein Myklebostad.
Rotefella CEO Torstein Myklebostad says they take many episodes very seriously.
– We’ve had a few instances where runners were unlucky to hook up the snowboard, as it quickly unlocked. This is something we take very seriously, and it is very sad that it happened. We have been working around the clock to find a solution to this. This means that we have now created a new security lock that locks the binding with 100% force. The tools are ready, and we start production after testing them for a few more days, says Myklebostad.
– What do you think about Toppidrettsveka not wanting to use their links?
We recommended a ski equipment supplier to look for alternatives. This was our turn. We focus on finding a safe solution for customers.
– So it did not happen on the initiative of Toppidrettsveka?
That incident with Bø created an insecurity, and we totally understand that. We have tried to be as cooperative as possible. It was an initiative from there that we support 100%. We need some time to check 100 percent new product. In that sense, Toppidrettsveka came in a bit quick, so it’s not a risk we’re willing to take.
– How many cases has the bond been opened recently?
– What have been reported are between 10 and 12 cases in total, since before the summer.
– Why does it happen?
– We spent a lot of time figuring out what really happened, and what was the main cause. Instead of coming up with a temporary solution, says Myklebostad, we have therefore decided to firmly lock the peg to 100 percent.
– It could have dire consequences
The athletes’ coach, Egil Christiansen, is critical of the number of accidents with the same type of tethering this summer.
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– This type of binding should not occur on roller skates. It could have dire consequences. One thing is when it happens when it’s relatively flat, but if it happens on a slope, it could end disastrously, he says.
– Now I saw that this happened at the ski show in Oslo and Blinkfestivalen. We’ve never had problems with that before, in the men’s team only Sturla (Holm Lægreid) goes with the engagements from Rotefella. Otherwise, the rest are in Fisher and Salomon.
Targy Boo jumped when he saw what the helmet looked like the day after the fall.
– I saw yesterday that the helmet broke several places. Cracked in two or three places in front. Maybe a little more narrowed than I thought. Right after that happens, you’re full of adrenaline, but the next day you get it in return.
– Was it scary to watch?
– When I hit the ground for the second time, I was sure the plaster would take three months. But then I was surprised when I got up and nothing seemed to break. I was very lucky. At the same time, the past three days have been very severe, accompanied by a severe concussion. You can see it from two sides: I’m either frustrated with my injury, or I’m glad things went well.
– Are you damned?
– Perhaps this is not the most I am, because it is difficult to know what Rotefella has done since the other accidents. If something frustrates me, it’s that they didn’t tell the organizer in Germany when this happened during the Oslo Ski Show and the Blink Festival, that they had to peel or stick the wrap or change the wrap. This is perhaps the most annoying thing. But I would be even more frustrated if I were lying here with a broken femur or collarbone. Some days without training I will bear, says Poe.
Rotefella has been in contact with Bø
Myklobostad in Rotefella says that they received visits from representatives of the Norwegian Biathlon Association after the episode with Tarjei Bø, and that they were also in direct contact with the main character.
– We’ve reviewed our solutions and which ones can be used in the next few days, before producing this new grip. Once that happens, we must do what we can to find quick and good solutions. We need some time to test before dispatch, and then this will be offered for free to all customers who bought our products. It would be a very easy part to edit on the link that customers already have.
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– What do you think then when Tarjee Poe fell?
– I don’t think you really want to know. This has been very, very difficult for us. I was on my way to the office five minutes after this happened, and sat down with the team to see what we’re doing short and long term. The most important thing for us is the health of Targi Boo. Fortunately, we were able to make sure that things were going well with him.
The organizer of the show race in Germany says he is very sorry about what happened to Bø on Sunday.
– We are very sad and in close contact with him. Fortunately, CEO Ralph Niedermayer says he has not experienced any violations.
He states that all roller skates had been tested by their roller skates partner, SRB, the day before. According to Niedermeier, the temperature during the test was lower than during the competition.
They (SRB) are in close contact with rotifilla. We assume that the ligands of Rotefella did not deal with 30 °C. The SRB will issue a press release about this during the day, he says.
Meanwhile, Tarjei Bø is lying in a hotel room on Seiser Alm and looking out over the view from morning to evening. But the gallows humor still remains with the 33-year-old.
– As Johannes said: “It’s good that you didn’t break both wrists, so I had to rub you on the trampling.” Good luck, Bo says and smiles.
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