Tønseth and Amundsen will fight a very special duel in Sunday’s NM in cross-country running: Who is Norway’s best cross-country runner with running shoes on his feet? – I actually fear that Harald can take over that throne. He has a better time at 3000 meters and a considerably higher O2 intake. Then we’ll see his running stride, I’m a little more unsure about that, says Tønseth. Watch the NM in cross-country running on NRK1 at 12.20 Sunday He has been recognized as the best runner in the cross-country environment, and not without reason. He won gold in the NM in cross-country running in 2018 and followed it up with silver in 2019, only beaten by Henrik Ingebrigtsen. He was then rewarded with a place on the Norwegian EC team. ROUTINE: Didrik Tønseth has both gold and silver in the terrain NM. In 2019, he was only beaten by Henrik Ingebrigtsen. Photo: Tore Meek At 3,000 metres, Tønseth has also been the best in the cross-country national team. That changed this summer. The Trønder was best man at a wedding and was sitting at the dinner table when a message from national team colleague Amundsen ticked in. He had run 3000 meters in 8.22 – one second better than Tønseth’s personal record for the distance. – It was a great message to receive, says Tønseth to news with undisguised sarcasm. He remembers well that it was the bride’s mother who gave the speech when the message ticked in – and that he himself had not yet given his proposal. – Used to being king – It probably stings a bit. He has been used to being the running king on the team for many years, Amundsen points out. Tønseth realizes that it will be difficult to take back the record before next summer. Now it’s about not being beaten in cross-country races, where the distance is 10 km. GET FREE: Didrik Tønseth and Harald Østberg Amundsen escape the moose farm hunt with the national team to run the NM cross-country race. Photo: Storm Pessl-Kleiven / news – The goal is to beat Didrik, says Amundsen. – It will mean that the cross-country runner image is completely shattered, and the throne just has to be relinquished. But I have faith that both can do well, replies Tønseth. The 32-year-old points out that the width at the top in Norwegian long-distance running has increased significantly since he won his NM gold five years ago. Admittedly, none of the Ingebrigtsen brothers is registered, but the cross-country skiers face tough opposition. Among the favorites is the hurdler Jacob Boutera, who is not only disappointed if he is beaten by a cross-country runner. – I must say that it is a bit embarrassing. No disrespect to them, but we are after all runners and they are skiers. So even though they are extremely well-trained and probably more well-trained than me in many ways, I feel that I should beat them when there are spiked shoes on their feet, says Boutera to news. He took the silver behind Magnus Tuv Myhre last year, but Myhre has announced his absence due to illness this year. – There are no runners who want to be beaten by skiers or orienteers or whatever, he states. Even if boss Tønseth says no to the EC, he still believes it is possible to stay in the medal race – and hopes that the Norwegian cross-country champion in 2023 will also come from the cross-country national team. In that case, the question of EC participation will come up again. This winter, the cross-country European Championship in Brussels collides with the World Cup cross-country skiing in Östersund. – I wouldn’t say no thanks, says Harald Østberg Amundsen to news. – There are just as good opportunities to be selected in a squad for the European Championships in cross-country skiing as for the World Cup weekend in cross-country skiing. I have a back up plan, smiles Didrik Tønseth. CLEAR SPEECH: Eirik Myhr Nossum is excited about Sunday’s duel, but states that the NM will be the last race of the year for his students. Photo: Storm Pessl-Kleiven / news But if one of them, or both, were to be selected for the EC in cross-country running, they get a clear answer from national team coach Eirik Myhr Nossum: – Then they say that it’s nice, but “here, but no longer”. This year’s athletics season ends on Sunday. He certainly promises none of them a place on the World Cup team for Östersund. But: – Then they shouldn’t run EC cross-country races, because then your physical form is so bad that you shouldn’t run. Then they are at home and preparing for the World Cup in Trondheim or the Tour de Ski – or to lick their wounds, says Nossum. Nossum believes in Tønseth The national team coach, however, is looking forward to seeing his athletes at the start of the NM race, and has given them time off from Sunday’s elk farm session during the ongoing national team meeting. He also points out a clear favorite of the two. – I think that if it had only been flat and gentle uphill, it would have been smoother, but I think Didrik is so much better downhill that it costs too much for Harald to be with him at the bottom. So I think Didrik is the favorite in that race, says Eirik Myhr Nossum
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Open for a new European Championship adventure – get a flat no from the boss
