– I woke up today and didn’t think I was going to take the podium, because there are such strong competitors. Suddenly I heard that I was leading on the last lap. I couldn’t believe what I heard, says Lægreid to news after the victory and continues: – I was told by Patrick (Oberegger) on the last hill “STURLA YOU LEAD!”, and then I just had to go with all I had, he says. Because it was a battle for seconds all the way to the finish line. Should Lægreid have a chance at a WC gold, 8 seconds from the last shooting on Johannes Thingnes Bø, who led at the finish line, would have to have gone in. Sturla Holm Lægreid cheers for WC gold. Photo: Roy Kenneth Sydnes Jacobsen. Then the Bærum runner found the instinct to urinate in the remaining minutes to the finish line. This meant that he was 3.5 seconds ahead of Thingnes Bø. And with that world champion. Then the cheers broke out for the 26-year-old, who pointed to his ear in the goal area. A message he does not want to reveal the meaning of. – It’s a secret sign to someone back home. A small greeting, says Lægreid cryptically. – You don’t want to reveal anything? – No, it was a greeting. Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen was third. Sturla Holm Lægreid cheers for WC gold. Photo: Roy Kenneth Sydnes Jacobsen. Has struggled for large parts of the season Lægreid has struggled with illness for large parts of the season before Christmas. And during the World Cup in Lenzerheide, he skated a dangerous shot inside the athletes’ hotel. An incident that has marked him right up to the championship. – I felt the pressure before the WC to get the win when the others had got it this season. A WC victory stands tall. It’s a milestone to win gold in the sprint. Now I can be sick for the rest of the championship, but still be happy, says Lægreid. Marked by nerves – I had won a silver medal before today, but of course it’s boring to lose by 3.5 seconds, says runner-up Thingnes Bø to news after “losing” the gold. Thingnes Bø had great ambitions to be strict with himself both on the track and on the stand, after being disappointed in the mixed relay on Wednesday. But even before the start, the reigning world champion seemed to be affected by nerves. Johannes Thingnes Bø. Photo: NTB – He is probably not completely confident in what he is doing, said news’s expert commentator Ola Lunde, when Thingnes Bø had to shoot more series than normal during the shooting. However, his nerves seemed to settle as he took the lead in the track. Going into the first shooting, he was 3 seconds ahead of teammate Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, but like the latter, there was a miss. – It can hold, said Torgeir Bjørn after French Quentin Fillion Mailet skated one miss in his standing shooting. Thingnes Bø continued to go doggedly towards what could be another WC gold. That hope became all the greater when he got all the blinkers on. – It could be a golden race, said Torgeir Bjørn about Thingnes Bø. He thus went into the provisional lead, 20 seconds ahead of French Émilien Jacquelin. But a total crack by the Frenchman on the last lap, who lost 24 seconds to Tarjei Bø on the last lap, meant that Thingens Bø was just over half a minute ahead of his big brother at the finish line. – The master is back. He is running his best sprint this season, and that in the WC, said Torgeir Bjørn about Thingnes Bø. It still didn’t hold up against teammate Lægreid.
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– A secret message – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
