– It has been absolutely wild lately with Haaland, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Casper Ruud and several world-class footballers. I am wonderfully inspired and motivated, says Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and adds: – I don’t understand that it is possible to achieve what they achieve, actually. FOLLOWS: Ingvild Flugstad Østberg says she is inspired by world-class Norwegian achievements. Photo: NTB At the same time that Østberg and the rest of the Norwegian cross-country skiing elite gathered for a ski show in Holmenkollen on Saturday, Erling Braut Haaland and Manchester City could celebrate an iconic triple feat when they won the Champions League. In recent years, Haaland has been at the forefront of a revolution in Sports Norway. Now we have several superstars at the top of the world in major summer sports, which the last week is clear proof of: Full praise for the Norwegian stars Østberg is full of admiration for the quartet. She describes Erling Braut Haaland as “a physical beast and a humble guy”. – And Jakob is a bit extraterrestrial when he runs so fast. Jann Post (news’s commentator) described it like this. The speed he had on average on Friday, I don’t have the ability to have for two seconds once, she adds. Biathlete Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen sums up the tennis comet Ruud like this: – Persistent, cold and smart. ROLAND-GARROS: Casper Ruud (right) met Novak Djokovic (left) in the Grand Slam final. There he was persistent, cold and smart. Photo: AP At the same time, he describes The Memorial winner Hovland as “funny, down-to-earth and someone with good taste in watches”. – Quite raw Cross-country skier Simen Hegstad Krüger expresses great excitement over the achievements of the “summer athletes”. – It’s pretty raw, I have to say. Now Norway is suddenly dominant in all sports. It’s cool to be a part of what’s going on now. It is inspiring what they achieve in major world sports, says the Olympic winner to news. National team colleague Didrik Tønseth, who has also made it big in cross-country running in the summer, states that Norway has definitely gone from being a winter country to becoming a year-round sports country. HAPPY TO RUN: Henrik Ingebrigtsen (left) and Didrik Tønseth (right) during the National Championships in cross-country running in Frognerparken in Oslo in 2019. Photo: NTB – These are great achievements and we appreciate that. The fact that we assert ourselves in more sports than just cross-country skiing is fun, says Tønseth. The recipe for success? World champions Tiril Udnes Weng and Pål Golberg have their theories about why Norwegians assert themselves in several sports. – We are a small country, so there must be good quality in what is born here. There is certainly a lot of provision for doing sports here and a lot of good at the grassroots all around, says Udnes Weng. GOOD MOOD: Tiril Udnes Weng (left) and Lotta Udnes Weng during the Holmenkollen ski show on Saturday. The latter won the competition. Photo: NTB – We come from the world’s richest country. Many grow up with resourceful parents, who have the opportunity to monitor their children from a young age. What makes us now suddenly step up in sports where we thought it was impossible to fight with the best, I don’t know, says Golberg before he continues: – If you take Erling Braut Haaland, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Casper Ruud, they have worked hard from a young age and put aside much of what youth experience. It is a sacrifice from an earlier age than perhaps the sports model we in Norway are used to presenting wants, but I think it is tough that they go ahead. But then it’s clear, it’s not for everyone to live those lives. Believe in intense battle for Sports Gala awards Everyone agrees that there will be a tough battle for the title of male athlete of the year and the athletes’ award at the Sports Gala in January. – I can predict that there will be record-breaking competition for the athletes’ prize and several prizes at the gala. I predict a sky-high level, in any case, Krüger states. MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jakob Ingebrigtsen was named male athlete of the year at the Sports Gala earlier this year. Photo: Reuters – It will be a discussion as it usually is. There are so many who have performed insanely well. No matter who it is, there is someone else who deserved to get it, who doesn’t get it. After all, it’s a luxury problem, so it’s only a positive thing. But at the same time, someone has to win it. I do not wish those who have to choose from so many good ones, says Østberg. Golberg thinks he himself can look far for a prize, despite gold in the five-thousander at the World Ski Championships: – It doesn’t amount to anything. In the environment, I have received more pats on the back than I could dream of. I enjoy it very much. So I know that a winter sport must wait at least ten years before anything can happen on that front.
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– Don’t realize it’s possible – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
