STEINKJER (VG) Experts Petter Northug (36) and Petter Skinstad (32) were ruthless against the national team’s participation in the figure skating race this summer. Some athletes on the national team partially agree with the criticism – but not Emil Iversen (31).
“It’s a shame to say it,” Trønder told VG candidly during a press conference during Steinkjer’s Men’s Cross Country Media Day.
The 31-year-old formed into a rally after a harsh winter – and when the arrows are pointing up, the same can be said of Iverson’s talking outfit.
Iversen is completely different when faced with the fact that both Northug and Skinstad just two weeks ago The national team runner asked to “go to work”.
The occasion was the meager participation of the best Norwegian cross-country skiers during one of summer’s big snowboarding events, the Blink Festival in early August.
At the time, TV 2 experts called for athletes to participate in all figure skating events between June and the end of August.
They believe that national team runners and big profiles should be in the place of the public and media, and should be on all live TV because it’s part of their job to draw attention to their particular sport.
Not at least while cross-country skiing competes with a number of other sports in the spotlight.
For his part, Iversen believes current practice, with the national team splitting up and heading, for example, to Blinkfestivalen and Toppidrettsveka (in Trondheim) in August, is more than good enough.
– We can’t do everything ourselves should an act. First of all, we have to try to speed off on cross-country skis. This is our business. And the So We should try to contribute interest in the summer, attend ski schools, work with sponsors and do a lot more. Tronder says absolutely everything, it is impossible to take him with you.
There will be injuries and illness
Don’t give up there. Iversen thinks Skinstad, who was previously on the junior national team and is now focused on long-distance running, doesn’t understand the situation because he didn’t have much focus on speed skating and therefore wasn’t on the elite team either.
– I see absolutely no need to respond to this kind of scam, Peter Skinstad tells VG.
Emil Iversen says the following about Northug:
– Peter says that we must defend society and participate in everything that happens. But then he can return to his career. It gets a little special when he thinks we should be the perfect frontal characters who are involved in everything.
We have a responsibility and we try to line up and distribute ourselves. But if we all get out, there will be injuries and disease. He (Northog) never did that.
Even Northough had the idea, too. He begins by saying that Skjenstad and his older brother “definitely have a point”.
– But then there were a lot of snowboarding races, too. For my part, it’s nice to have something to look forward to in terms of winter, he says.
When asked about one of the experts’ arguments, even Northug admits that you should connect people who follow you, and that skateboarding on TV is generally a good arena.
– But if there is too much of it, it may hinder the training that you want to do for the winter. Then you have competitors lining up to defeat you. There will also be noise and hassle if you are not adequately equipped when it really matters, says Even Northog.
Pål Golberg is also aware that criticism came when it did, but he believes, however, that figure skating events with television coverage have increased in size in recent years and that they may have reached a saturation point.
– Before that, we had Top Sports Week in the last week of June and Blink Festival in August. If we do everything they expect us to do, it will make a difference whether you use summer to prepare for winter or compete as much and show off as much as possible.
The criticism comes because there was suddenly only one woman from the national team at the beginning. On the sprint team we had three guys there. There will be three or four of us at Toppidrettsveka. Gulberg says I accept criticism, but I don’t follow it one hundred percent.
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