– I have never crossed the border. Oddly enough, says Alvar Myhlback to news. In the quest to become the next great, Myhlback encounters skepticism. But he also meets with admiration. What the 16-year-old does to reach the top of the world is causing a stir – also in Norway. – I have always gone my own way, says Swedish Myhlback when he meets news in Falun. Alvar Myhlback and his father Petter. Photo: JOHAN AXELSSON / BILDBYRÅN Alvar Myhlback and his father Petter. Photo: JOHAN AXELSSON / BILDBYRÅN In Sweden, expectations are growing as to whether the 16-year-old can become the future ski king. At the same time, the super talent notices that his investment has become a topic of discussion. Because the youngster’s methods are not to be found in any textbook on training for 16-year-olds. – I have put in an awful lot of work, says Myhlback. One of the best of all time has never seen anything like it before. Warning – He is ready to go to the World Cup. The former skiing king Petter Northug is crystal clear. The Trønder himself beat the world’s best runners as a final-year junior in 2006. But what Myhlback is doing at such a young age is more extreme. Northug has seen what lives in the Swedish youngster in the field this year. It’s mostly the back he’s seen out on the trails. During the Vasaloppet, the rawness that lives in the 16-year-old was again seen, when he picked up a jerk just over a mile before the finish line, of the nine-mile race: Northug, however, raises a warning finger. – There is always a danger when you train as much as he does at a young age, says Northug. He sees the danger of going on a rampage. Petter Northug after finishing in the Vasaloppet. He was number 48. Photo: DANIEL ERIKSSON / BILDBYRÅNPetter Northug after finishing in the Vasaloppet. He was number 48. Photo: DANIEL ERIKSSON / BILDBYRÅN – You have to be on your guard when you’re so young. One is not yet fully developed. Then you have to be a little careful and listen to your body’s signals. It is not certain that it will flow as well in two years as it does now, says Northug and adds: – He must be alert and have people looking after him. Even as a 13-year-old, Myhlback showed some of the roughest skiers how tough he was. Five hours – He hung on for five hours and I went quite quickly, says Anders Aukland. Almost four years ago, Myhlback was able to join Aukland on a long trip on roller skis. Photo: Nils Christian Mangelrød Photo: Nils Christian Mangelrød For hours the then 13-year-old hung on the back of the long-distance champion in a strike. – I was extremely impressed by the boy. Then we have seen what he has achieved in cross-country skiing since then, says Aukland. He points out that the system at Myhlback is completely different from the usual “Norwegian school” for young skiers. At the same time, he believes that the official training advice is very safe and likes that someone challenges the textbook. Photo: Private Photo: Private As a first-year junior skier, the Swedish youngster already lives as a professional skier. He does not know if he will pass school in the spring. Myhlback himself says that he now trains quite similarly to the best competitors in Ski Classics. For the peaks, 800–1000 hours of training a year is common. – There are many who have trained hard at a young age and have not succeeded. You just have to believe in it, because at the same time I’ve been doing what I’m doing now for 4–5 years, says Myhlback. – Tolerates a lot Normally, Aukland wants young runners to go through the ranks. But he sees that Myhlback is extreme and different. – There are very few who had managed it. I haven’t seen anyone, says Aukland. The 50-year-old himself became known for his rough training. Aukland himself is known for his tough training, which revolutionized the sport. Photo: Helene Mariussen Aukland himself is known for his tough training, which revolutionized the sport. Photo: Helene Mariussen Now, as a 16-year-old, Myhlback claims to be at the top among seasoned cross-country skiers in Ski Classics. Chew on it. He is 16 years old. This means the first year of upper secondary school. In the Vasaloppet, he stretched his arms in the air as number eight after nine miles. He was then 16 seconds behind the winner, his teammate Emil Persson (27). Myhlback was then far ahead of both Aukland and Northug. – Many may shake their heads at that choice, but I think it’s really exciting that he dares and succeeds so well. He will undoubtedly be very tough in his head and body, says Aukland. – He can obviously endure a lot. Betting with professionals – I think it is a very interesting and exciting path that Alvar chooses, says his father Petter Myhlback. He is now the lubrication manager for the Swedish national team. The former skier has no qualms about the plan for his son, as long as there is a good enough balance between rest, nutrition and exercise. Alvar Myhlback himself is, among other things, inspired by the training of runner star Jakob Ingebrigtsen (22). Ingebrigtsen also aimed single-mindedly at the top of the world from the age of 12. When he was 17, he won two European Championship golds. The Swedish super talent has had a strong connection to Norway through schooling in Trysil. He was also part of Team Bygdø in Oslo a few years ago. Photo: JOHAN AXELSSON / BILDBYRÅN Photo: JOHAN AXELSSON / BILDBYRÅN But now he trains and travels with some of the best cross-country skiers in the world, in the private team Lager 157 Ski Team. – I find it difficult to see that it will just stop, but at the same time as you push the limits, you also have to be smart. I can’t go around waiting for that to happen either, says Myhlback. However, his methods make experienced ski guides wary. – Scary Former national team manager Vidar Løfshus warns against the development. He sees tougher training at a young age and early specialization in children’s sports. – Myhlback can become the world’s best. I’m not saying he won’t be. But I don’t recommend this and think that it scares more people away from the sport than it invites in, says Løfshus. Former national team manager Vidar Løfshus. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTBT Former national team manager Vidar Løfshus. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB He was a leader in the Skiing Association for 13 years until 2019. Now he follows children’s sports through his own children. He has noticed the Swedish super talent. He is impressed, but he is also concerned. – There are very few young runners who run a purely senior program that succeeds. That is my experience. But there is no rule without exception. Suddenly he is the one who can succeed, says Løfshus. He himself is worried that such crude schemes will lead to the threshold being too high for many people to play sports. His impression is that there is a lot of training late in the junior age in Norway. At the same time, Petter Northug believes that few will try to copy the 16-year-old in the future. – I think this is a “one in a million example” of a 16-year-old who prioritizes differently. says Northug. Photo: JOHAN AXELSSON / BILDBYRÅN Photo: JOHAN AXELSSON / BILDBYRÅN Another school The roughest training among younger runners goes against the advice of the Ski Association. At the well-known ski gymnasium in Meråker, where Northug went, they try to reduce the amount of training. – This is not something we have faith in, in the long term. We think it’s smart to take steps and drive versatilely in youth, says Frode Estil. The former Olympic and World Cup winner is now head of sports at the school in Trøndelag. He believes that it will also be easier to reach your maximum top level if you do more normal junior training. Frode Estil, former five-mile world champion, broke through well into adulthood. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – We want younger runners to hurry slowly, says Estil. At the same time, he sees how fast Myhlback is already going. – There are exceptions to that rule, says Estil. Said no Myhlback himself has already felt wrecked in Sweden this winter. In the autumn, the Swedish national team manager Anders Byström opened up that Myhlback could become the youngest ever runner in the World Cup. Myhlback followed up by finishing third in the Swedish season opener. Then came the counter-notice. – I was very well on my way to getting into the World Cup and when you hear that you can’t do anything before the Junior WC, it feels hopeless, says Myhlback. Then he made a hitherto unheard of choice. The 16-year-old declined to bet on the Junior WC. – I have talked to him a lot about this. I told Alvar that he had to follow his heart and do what he believed in. He chose not to walk the withdrawal channels. If you don’t go those chutes, it will be difficult to be selected, says Sweden’s junior national team coach Andreas Domeij. – The extremely gifted 16-year-old knows that people think his choice is strange. – But I only use it as a driving force, to prove later that I was right, he says. To reach the top in the WC and Olympics is the ambition in the future. He sees that his way there is causing discussion. – I also think that if I’m going to get where I want to go, I have to do the work of laying a foundation and doing something no one else has done before me, in order to be better than everyone else, says Myhlback. Junior national team coach Domeij has no insight into the 16-year-old’s training. His impression is that Myhlback does not train with his “head under his arm”. – I have not seen any other 16-year-old at this level before. He is extremely gifted, says Domeij. On Saturday morning, Alvar Myhlback runs the Birkebeinerrennet.
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Alvar Myhlback (16) is already training like the best – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
