– I would say that it is just idiotic, yes. All you have to do is switch back, then the problem is solved, says Sander Eitrem to news. – I think it is foolish, says Hallgeir Engebråten. On Sunday, they will both run both 10,000 meters and 1,500 meters in the WC. The fact that it is the 10,000 meters and the 5,000 meters for the women that come first on the day has caused great frustration in the Norwegian national team. – It is of course not good for skating. There are many countries that don’t like it, says national team coach Bjarne Rykkje, and continued: – I agree with the athletes. It’s an idiotic invention. WC program Sunday 20:00: 5000 meters, women 21:07: 10,000 meters, men 23:08: 1,500 meters, women 00:03: 1,500 meters, men Eitrem: The recovery may take a day or two 22-year-old Eitrem, who took the bronze in the 5,000 meters at Thursday, says he has considered withdrawing from one of the two distances on Sunday, and believes the whole thing is “incredibly devastating”. – You are starting and have already completed 25 rounds and have not lost any powder in your legs. Those who have walked “ten” and are going to walk 1,500 are going to be a little stressed, he says, and corrects himself to be quite stressed. – 10,000 is the worst distance. It hurts early on and you just have to fight on. After all, you can spend quite a long time recovering. It may take a day or two. And that one then has to walk 1,500 two hours afterwards… It will be hard on the bones, notes Eitrem. CLEAR MESSAGE: Sander Eitrem took the first Norwegian medal in the individual distance WC this year. On Sunday, he gets two new opportunities, but he is not satisfied with the programme. Here together with Edel Therese Høiseth during the EC last year. Photo: Christoffer Andersen / NTB Engebråten says he has never walked a 1,500 meters immediately after a 10,000 meters, as the program is in Calgary. – But I’ve gone “ten” quite a few times. If you have a bad experience there, you don’t want to do much else than try to survive the next hour, he says and summarizes that the top speed will be gone anyway. Also for Ragne Wiklund, there will be an unusual sequence of the two distances that the athletes are otherwise used to going on the last day of an all-round championship. – I’ve thought a lot about that and I’ve been very annoyed about that. But now that the form is as it is now, I think I am better at 5000 than 1500 metres, says Wiklund, who has struggled with illness and a back injury this year. – Then I prioritize 5,000 without having to make a choice. But if I were to go 1,500 meters first, I might have to make a choice then, now that my form is not quite top, she says further. SEEING THE POSITIVE: Ragne Wiklund opens the WC with a fifth place in the 3000 metres. Photo: NTB Asked about change The Norwegian team manager, Edel Therese Høiseth, says that already in November they asked the International Skating Union (ISU) to change the order of the line. – I sent a message to the ISU technical committee about whether it was possible to change the sequence, but by then it had already been run, she says, – Why was it already run? – They thought that the organizer here in Calgary wanted it to be that way. The explanation I got was that the public would more easily stay in the hall with a 1,500 at the end of the day than a 10,000 meter or 5,000 meter, explains Høiseth. WANTED A CHANGE: Edel Therese Høiseth tried to get the program turned around, but did not succeed. The Norwegian “truth” is that it is the Norwegian federation that governs next year, with the WC in the Viking ship. Photo: NTB The press manager for the WC and the Canadian Skating Association, Alain Brouilette, confirms in a reply to news that the Canadian association asked the ISU to have 5,000 meters for the women and 10,000 meters for the men as the first distances on Sunday. – It was done to increase the ticket hall and ensure that the spectators would stay in the stands throughout the entire day of the competition. The driver’s request was accepted by the ISU and the ISU’s technical committee for speed skating. Brouilette further writes that they were informed about the program in November to avoid it coming as a surprise to anyone. – There has always been flexibility in the program for ISU competitions. An example is the recent four-continent championship (championship with participants from Asia, Africa, North and South America) in Salt Lake City, where the team exercises came before the individual distances. – Almost impossible In addition to the three Norwegians mentioned, there are also several foreign runners who plan to run two races on Sunday. Among them are the Dutch Joy Beune and Patrick Roest, the Canadian Valérie Maltais and the Belgian Bart Swings. – I’m a little sorry that it’s not the other way around. Then it would be the same as in an all-round championship. Now it’s a bit silly, because after 10,000 metres, it’s almost impossible to walk a good 1,500 metres, says Swings. – If they had changed, there would not have been any problem. I don’t understand it either, he says when asked if he agrees with the Norwegian criticism. One who, on the other hand, is relatively satisfied with the 10,000 meters coming first is Patrick Roest. The Dutchman took gold in the men’s 5,000 meters on Thursday. – Last year it was the other way around. Then I jumped over 1,500 meters to make a good 10,000 meters. For my part, I’m probably better at 10,000 metres, so I can focus on that and see how the 1,500 meters goes, he says to news. But still, he also has things to pick on the WC programme. – In any case, I think it’s wild that the two distances are run on the same day. Having them on the same day should not be done. Then you should rather have a joint start or team tempo that day, not these two on the same day, says the star runner. You can watch all the distances from the WC on news TV and on NRK1 or NRK2.
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