The idea of eternal life on a pedestal by Peter Northug, 37, foundered a few years ago. But now the 1 million krone funding is in the fund.
And in the year 2024, a statue of the King of Skateboarding will be erected in his village, Framveeran.
Northog can thank his longtime TV 2 colleague Ernst A. Lirsvin on that. Since Lersveen retired after skiing in Planica this year, Northug asked if it was really okay for him to finally try to implement the statue plans.
He got “yes” as an answer.
– This is a kind of appreciation that is greater than just naming the name of the year in a newspaper. I record that it is he who continues to make headlines in the midst of his 40-year-old crisis over investment in long-distance running, while national teams suffer from interest, says Leersveen and continues:
-He artificially created a huge interest in cross-country skiing and will remain the most important person in the sport ever. The statue remains forever and it is old fashioned that it is only erected when people have died. Those who get a statue must try it. It has been ordered now and will be unveiled in 2024.
Northug himself tells VG that he thinks it’s very nice that artist Tore Bjørn Skjølsvik – who also created the sculptures of Nils Arne Eggen and Oddvar Brå – is nearing the finish line of the project.
– But with mixed feelings. It looks like you’re going to a funeral. And at the same time, it’s a gesture that I really appreciate. The sculpture will show Peter on the slopes, and it was important for me to recognize myself in what was being created and for the artist to understand the type of skier I was.
The former ski king has been receiving weekly updates since Lersveen, on his own initiative, began working to raise funds and implement the plans.
-At first I envisioned a kind of linking team, but you have to bring a lot of people with you to raise a million kroner, which costs you in the end. Meanwhile, this is not something Peter really needs. Then I figured we had to include Tronder’s patriotism. I have brought in some very good supporters from Tronder who contribute financially.
Lersveen also worked on the placement of the statue. He first conceived of the so-called Northug flat in the middle of the national facility in Holmenkollen. The place where Northug became a national hero during the 2011 World Championships.
But in the end they landed in Framveeran. The commune where Northug grew up and still spends a lot of time.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
