– It is a complete disaster for Norwegian alpine sports. That something outside of sports has created so much noise that an athlete quits – that shouldn’t happen, says Nina Løseth. Lucas Braathen’s revelation came as a surprise to most. Because at a press conference on Friday, he said that his career is over. The main reason he states is a lack of joy, primarily due to the conflict with the Skiing Association. ALPINE EXPERT: Nina Løseth Photo: Ole Kaland / news – Very surprising. I didn’t see this coming, says news’s expert. – It is the bomb of the ages in the alpine environment. This was violent. A huge shock. He is sending strong waves around the disc world, and it is sad for us who love the sport, says news expert Lars Elton Myhre. – Oh! It’s absolutely insane, says Hans Petter Buraas when news tells him the news. – It comes like lightning from the blue, and is incredibly sad. He has had a fantastic career in his short sporting life. Extremely impressive at a young age. He was the world’s best alpinist and then he sets up two days before Sölden, it’s a shock, says former top alpinist Jonathan Nordbotten. Braathen gave the message to his teammates on Thursday night. – You become a little speechless. We found out last night as a “head’s up”. For the whole group it is shocking, says Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to VG. – Made things a bit exciting Braathen made his debut in the World Cup as an 18-year-old, and took his first World Cup victory in Sölden three years ago. Since then, there have been four new victories and seven podium places. Last season he also won the slalom cup. He is still only 23 years old. FORMER TEAMMATE: Jonathan Nordbotten. Photo: NTB – That’s 15 years of a lot of fun that you’re missing out on. At the weekend he was able to drive and win the World Cup race. He was a favorite in Sölden on the same level as Henrik Kristoffersen, Nordbotten points out. – I am shocked that it has gone this far. He is “one of a kind”. He’s on Tomba level in terms of interest, isn’t he. But all respect to Lucas. What a brave fellow. He doesn’t bother anymore and follows his convictions, says former coach and alpine profile Finn Aamodt. – It’s really crazy that such a blob of color has made that choice. He is the one everyone wanted to see. He is, after all, a little Alberto Tomba. He threw a little extra light on spectators and viewers, and made things a little exciting. There is a line in the bill, says Buraas. But it won’t be like that. During the approximately 20-minute long session in Sölden, Braaten also made strong criticism directed at the Norwegian Ski Association. – Extremely disrespectful treatment, he said. Call to Skiforbundet Buraas has some understanding for the decision. – When he feels that this is too much of a burden, that he does not want to deal with this, then it is a strong “statement” towards the Ski Association, says “Burre”. He also gives Braaten and several of the alpinists support in the image rights battle, and recognizes many of the issues. He calls today’s solution old-fashioned. COLOR BLOOD: Hans Petter Buraas. Photo: NTB – I think that the Ski Association should now at least hold an extraordinary board meeting and lay down some good guidelines for how they should treat their runners, their coaches and their support staff in the right way. I don’t think it only applies to the runners. The whole association should be changed to a business model, I mean then, says the Olympic champion from 1998. – It is clear that now there should be a round of what could have been done differently. There should certainly be an evaluation of how to handle future conflicts, says Løseth.
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