– It was the small confidence boost I needed, says Narve Gilje Nordås to news after fighting a tough duel with Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the NM gold in the 5000 meters in Sandnes on Saturday afternoon. The NM race and the silver was a boost after a very disappointing EC in Rome. There, he first had no chance in the 5,000-meter final. In the 1,500 meters, he was knocked out right in the attempt, less than a year after he took WC bronze at the distance. SILVER: Narve Gilje Nordås secured the silver in the 5000 meters during the NM in Sandnes on Saturday. Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB Since the EC, Nordås had not spoken to the media. Now he lifts the veil. – I was in the basement, I was resigned. I was finished. I have never considered quitting. Or I have done that, but not then and there. But it is such that you think that you will never bother with this again. I was way down, says Nordås. He did not understand why his body seemed completely empty. – We looked for medical answers. We didn’t find that. We dug as deep as we could there and took as many tests as we could, says Nordås. LEAD: Nordås led the field for large parts of the 5000 meters in Sandnes, but in the end had to see himself beaten by Jakob Asserson Ingebrigtsen. Photo: NTB Noise around the residence during the EC He himself believes that the downturn comes from several things. Among other things, he started the season at the end of April and believes that it was demanding to top the form for the EC due to a long competition period. At the same time, he is also honest that the noise that came around him and his training mate Per Svela in connection with the EC in Rome may have taken a toll. The fact that Nordås and Svela have Gjert Ingebrigtsen as coach has made the relationship with the Ingebrigtsen brothers demanding in recent years. The trainer is accused of abuse in close relationships. Nordås said during the EC, among other things, that he wanted to avoid confrontations with unnamed persons in the Norwegian squad. Therefore, the duo wanted to stay in a different hotel than the Norwegian team. The Norwegian Athletics Federation would not pay for this. They insisted that all the Norwegian athletes should stay in the same hotel. Sports manager Erlend Slokvik claimed to VG that this had been clarified and accepted by Nordås and Svela. – When Per confirms to me several times, at the latest the day before, that they will be staying at our hotel, I have to accept it, sports manager Erlend Slokvik told VG. Per Svela told TV 2 another version. He claims Nordås asked Slokvik to get a room at another hotel, but was told that the other athlete hotel was fully booked. Then Nordås and Svela booked the allegedly full hotel themselves. DOWNHILL: A disappointed Nordås after the finish of 5000 meters in Rome earlier in June. He even ended up in 11th place. Photo: NTB – Loses more than you think – People say now and then that it doesn’t cost that much, but perhaps subconsciously it loses more than you think. It’s not optimal, says Nordås about the EC noise now. And continued: – It’s a terribly sad situation, which you don’t want to be in. Then you’re misunderstood. Then there will be a lot of commotion and people will have their say and the comments will rain. It’s crazy, but that’s how it is. I will try to prevent it next time, says Nordås. – It probably affects Narve a little more than me. The biggest challenges are more directly related to him than to me, but it is clear that it also affects me, says Per Svela. He says that he spoke to Erlend Slokvik immediately after the 5000 meters on Saturday. He wants better communication. TEAMMATE: Per Svela wants to talk to the director of athletics, to improve communication. Photo: NTB – Two minutes before I came to you now, I met Slokvik in the changing room and said that we must have a cup of coffee in St. Moritz and talk a little about one thing and another, says Svela. Slokvik confirms the call. – I said we can have dinner, he says to news. – Do you know that there may be a need for it? – Yes. That’s fine, but we talk all the time. It is important to go through things and see if we can be clearer about things and see if there are things we can become even better at. DINNER PLANS: Erlend Slokvik agrees to a conversation with Per Svela. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen / NTB Optimistic before the Olympics In the run-up to the Olympics in Paris, there will be no discussions about housing. – We will live in the Olympic village. Exactly, it’s quite okay and not too much to talk about. I will live in the Olympic village like everyone else, says Nordås. And he is now optimistic about the Olympics in Paris. The 5,000 meters in the NM was an upturn for him. When Jakob Ingebrigtsen tried to shake off Nordås on the last round in Sandnes, he had to make several speed increases before his rival let go on the run-up side. – Does it mean anything to you to be on his level? – Yes. It’s cool to see that when he’s about to accelerate with 300 meters to go and turns back and sees “no, not letting go”. Then new acceleration with 200 meters to go and doesn’t let up there either. It’s like the last convulsion on the run-up side. But he has to go down into a relatively high gear, says Nordås. In the race he himself set a good pace at the front and it was only in the last laps that Jakob Asserson Ingebrigtsen moved up to the lead and tried to shake off Nordås. – What are you going to do in order not to take off after this hike here? – It was good, but it wasn’t that good. If I had won, I might consider having a Coke tonight. But now it will be Farris, says Nordås. Published 30.06.2024, at 12.36 p.m
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