– He outclasses them in the final. Northug is on top in the NM again, exclaimed news commentator Jann Post. The Northug family knows a thing or two about taking gold, and finally it was Even Northug’s turn. The 28-year-old has usually ended up in the shadow of older brother Petter, but on Friday it was all about Even. – It means a lot. It is big. You don’t become Norwegian champion every day, says the winner to news. He thundered on in the final and drove from everyone in the final field – and went on to win his first individual NM gold. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB And that with borrowed skis. After the gold was collected, he said that the gold skis actually belong to Emil Iversen. – I had to borrow them, I didn’t have any rub-skis myself. I had to call Emil on the way up today. It happens that he borrows from me and I from him. – So finally some success for Emil Iversen in the NM? – Yes, then it was NM gold, grins Northug. The skis were extra important today, he believes. – As long as you have skis that are not icy and you hit well with rub skis today, you have good skis. Photo: news, NTB Northug took the gold ahead of Mathias Holbæk and Oskar Opstad Vike. On the women’s side, it was a more nondescript blade that ran away with the NM gold. – Sensational owner – There is a sensational owner at Beitostølen! Who would have imagined that this would happen, says Torgeir Bjørn. After the stars fell, it was Hedda Bakkemo who could celebrate her very first NM gold at Beitostølen on Friday. She was the strongest of all in the final field – It was absolutely crazy. I am completely in shock. I didn’t quite understand what happened when I crossed the finish line, it’s a strange feeling, says Bakkemo to news afterwards. She won ahead of her friend Mari Nordlunde, who took the silver, while Anna Svendsen took third place. The 19-year-old Malin Hoelsveen impressed tremendously throughout all the final rounds, but ran out of steam in the final and ended up in 4th place. Hoelsveen is actually a real multi-talent. She made a big impression during Friday’s sprint, and last week she won gold in the sprint in the junior NM. But the 19-year-old knows more than just skiing: She is also one of Norway’s greatest athletics talents. She took silver in the 800 meters during the NM last year, only beaten by national team runner Hedda Hynne. In addition, she became U18 European champion in 800 meters in 2022. – The potential she shows is impressive, said news’s Torgeir Bjørn after Hoelsveen’s quarter-final. TALENT: Malin Hoelsveen, in the middle here, ran to silver during the senior national championships last year. On Friday, she impressed with skis on her feet. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB And there are more who were impressed by Hoelsveen. National team coach Sjur Ole Svarstad says he had never seen Hoelsveen ski, but liked what he saw. – She has good capacity and is good technically. cases well and goes well on the downhills, Really an exciting athlete to watch out for. She holds a very high level already. She is still a junior and has all the opportunities in the world to take the step into the senior elite. And when asked what he thinks the multitalent should do in the future, he says: – She has to choose cross-country skiing. Stars knocked out The NM sprint at Beitostølen was characterized by weather conditions that caused trouble for several. Snow and heavy conditions led to a number of peels. Already in the prologue, one of the favorites on the women’s side, Lotta Udnes Weng, was knocked out. – It was so annoying. It felt like I was walking on stilts. Then I entered the race here as well. Then I got rid of the drafts, so the last 50 meters were a little better, she says further. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – What was it like to walk here? – It was absolutely terrible. It was completely impossible to ski. It’s one of the worst experiences I’ve had skiing, says Udnes Weng. In the quarter-finals, prologue winner Ane Appelkvist Stenseth smoked, after she had changed skis before the final rounds. Stenseth was the favorite in his quarter-final, and was not particularly happy after the quarter-final exit. – I should probably have gone for shiny skis. It was a club and it was shit. I toiled up the last hill. There was too much clubbing under the skis and then it becomes difficult, says Stenseth to news. – What do you think about the weather being like this during the National Championships? – It’s boring. There will be many factors that come into play, which are not about form. It’s crazy, but that’s the way it is. HARD: Ane Appelkvist Stenseth had a tough time in the quarter-finals of the NM sprint. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB There was also trouble on the men’s side. National team runner Sindre Bjørnestad Skar was eliminated in the prologue, while Pål Golberg was eliminated in the semifinals. There were a number of falls, pole breaks and simply difficult lubrication conditions. It made a huge difference in both skis and times, and some even had to stop completely to remove the drifts from under their skis. – It is a challenging road here today, stated news’s cross-country expert Therese Johaug. The NM weekend continues on Saturday with the skiathlon. You can follow that on news 1 from 11.45.
ttn-69
Even Northug won his first NM gold – with Emil Iversen’s skis – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
