– It was a crushing defeat. – Absolutely terrible. – No, then, jokes Henrik Christiansen. The WC silver winner talks about the loss of 19-year-old Jon Jøntvedt, who made a name for himself with 17 NM medals and the King’s Cup in July – a trophy that has belonged to Christiansen since 2015. – It’s time for me to step down a bit as an assistant rider – position, it is good to see that we have a new overall winner on the way up, says Christiansen, with a twinkle in his eye. FRIEND AND COMPETITOR: Henrik Christiansen has been Norway’s best in swimming. Now he is being challenged by Jon Jøntvedt. For several years, the 25-year-old has held the throne at the top of Norway’s sewing industry, with WC silver and three EC silvers in her bag. But at the beginning of July it was a young and unknown seamstress from Jæren who stole both the headlines and the king’s trophy from Christiansen. 12 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze – was the result for Jøntvedt after the NM weekend. – Of course it’s nice. I actually expected to sew in the times that I did, but it’s a bit special when you actually win in addition, says Jon Jøntvedt to news. Jærske Haaland values There is no doubt that Erling Braut Haaland has seen Bryne on the world map. When the sewing talent from Bryne sewing club is asked about the superstar, he has to laugh, but eventually admits that there are similarities between them. – I think both are winners, not afraid to say what we think and want to be as good as possible, says Jøntvedt and continues: – I think it’s a typical Jærs value. Being a little bit doesn’t mean superior, but in any case, don’t be afraid to say what you think. One must be confident in any case. WORLD STAR: Erling Braut Haaland. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB And there is no doubt that Jøntvedt is ambitious and has high goals – in good Jærsian spirit. – I really want to reach the top and become one of the best in the world. You have to convince yourself before you can convince others. In a few days, the 19-year-old will be ready to fight against the best in Europe. He has no problem sharing the goal during the EC. – I’m not afraid to say that it would have been really cool to get to an EC final. It is important to have high goals and ambitions in order to actually think that you have the opportunity to make it, says Jøntvedt. – Extreme qualities The gold in the 400 meter freestyle in Norway now belongs to Jøntvedt, who won by more than two seconds ahead of Henrik Christiansen. – He is a new star, says Gard Kvale, former long-distance national team swimmer. Kvale believes that Jøntvedt distinguished himself as an athlete from an early age, and showed a willingness to train and the ability to go far. – He has some extreme qualities when it comes to training. He is clearly one of the best in Norwegian history to train, says Kvale. TRIBUTES: Jon Jøntvedt, here when news met him at Frognerbadet in Oslo. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news As a 14-year-old, Jøntvedt joined the junior national team. Two years later, he made the step up to the senior national team, where he developed his skills further. – I have quite good leg kicks and underwater skills. It helps, of course, but you have to have more than that. I’ve trained a lot so I’m quite persistent, and we can see that in the longer exercises, says Jøntvedt. National team manager Petter Løvberg believes he has “fearless attitudes”, which came to light in the competition against Henrik Christiansen. – Just the fact that he challenges Henrik now and takes the king’s trophy from him shows what is in him. Jon is fearless and has absolute faith in himself, says Løvberg. The European Swimming Championships will be held in Rome from 11 to 21 August. See all the rehearsals on news and news TV.
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Teenager won 17 (!) National Championship medals – laughs at Haaland questions – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
