The situation has been turned on its head within a few years for the women’s national team. Their biggest profiles have disappeared and a lack of results has affected the team. It will be noticed. – When Therese ran at the front of the moose farm, you knew that she was most likely the best in the world. Now we don’t know if the best is number three or ten in the World Cup, if it had been the same day, says Ragnhild Haga to news during the meeting of the national team in Oslo this week. Runners such as Marit Bjørgen, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, Maiken Caspersen Falla and Therese Johaug have all given up within a few years. Haga points out that they now have to live more with uncertainty about their level of training. – But I still think we are a strong team, says Haga. The lack of results among the women behind Johaug led to work being started last spring to uncover why Norwegian women’s cross-country skiing is struggling. At the weekend, the report from this work will be presented. TOGETHER: Ragnhild Haga and Anne Kjersti Kalvå lead the rest of the national team from the front during training in Holmenkollen. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB The head of the cross-country committee, Torbjørn Skogstad, says that the content will first be made public in connection with the presentation at the weekend. Among those who have contributed to this work is Therese Johaug, who was the only member of the team before she quit. – Very composed At a gathering of European ski coaches in Oslo this autumn, the former leader of the performance culture on the national team was. She was part of a team where the performances went in a negative direction around her in the last years of her career. At this gathering, she mentioned that some people have looked at what the singles have done, but have not followed their example. – I think we have to go in and see what we did to build as strong a team as we managed, says Johaug, who was part of a historically strong Norwegian team earlier in his career. Therese Johaug has given up, but has thoughts about why there has been a lack of women around her in the national team. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB In front of news, the skiing star expressed that she has seen the reasons for the failure and that things can get better. – It is very complex. I can say that. In order to create a good performance culture, everyone must contribute, everything from athletes, to trainers, to managers, to everything. So we must now go in and look at what has been done and what must be done in the future to build it up. I have a lot of knowledge inside that I want to share, says Johaug. – You mention that there are some who have looked at the ones, but perhaps not followed the judgement. What has not been picked up while you were active? – No, so there are different things. But now I’ve said a lot, so I have to be careful what I say, says Johaug. But she was tight-lipped when news asked if the performance culture in the national team had been too bad. Johaug says that there is a lot he could say about this. – I promise to be honest about it in the book, says Johaug. Supports Johaug’s point of view National team runner Anne Kjersti Kalvå does not know what will come in the women’s report, but is curious. She joined the national team at an advanced age and points her finger at the work being done to help the second best. – I know that I have done a lot on my own and that all the expertise and help that lies in the skiing environment in Norway has not been used well enough to bring us up to second best. You have to be curious yourself, but getting close and good help is more important than you think, says Kalvå to news. New national team coach Sjur Ole Svarstad also does not know what will come in the report, which will be presented at the weekend. He is clear that they have not made major changes in the training work before the season, compared to when he was a coach during the heyday in 2016. He points out that there was a unique training culture in the team a few years ago. NATIONAL TEAM COACH: Sjur Ole Svarstad. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB Now he wants to recreate the culture, even if it does not entail drastic changes in the methods. – I myself remember that I was there as a recruiting coach in 2011 and got to attend some meetings – and that training culture was raw. Therese will probably come up with the answer there. It is quite hard work, says Svarstad.
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I have no idea about the level after star exit. Johaug now announces an honest verdict in a new book – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
