– They like to be critical, so I think they can shrug their shoulders, says Ida Lien after the opening weekend. Ahead of the start of the season, news’s experts had rattled their sabers and stated that there was a small crisis in Norwegian women’s biathlon. – We are going to struggle this winter here, said news’s biathlon expert Ola Lunde, among other things. The statements were picked up by the Norwegian women and used as motivation towards the opening race. – We get a little extra excited and want to show that we are pretty good too, explains Ragnhild Femsteinevik. MOTIVATED: Ragnhild Femsteinevik used the criticism as motivation. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB Together with Ida Lien and Karoline Knotten, she was the only representative from the elite national team at Sjusjøen. There, Knotten took the grand slam with victory on both days, but Lien also delivered a top race with 2nd place on Saturday. – No need to worry. Now they believe that the experts were too quick to criticize. – I think the experts need not be worried. Ingrid and Marte are excited to get started, and I think it will be good when we get started properly. I hope all is well with Tiril too, so she will also get started eventually, says Lien, while Femsteinevik follows up: – I understand what the experts mean, but we have matched up with them in training. We match with Ingrid, and she matches Tiril and Marte. We have found out that we can be pretty good too, says Femsteinevik. Knotten feels she has disproved the critics with two wins in the season opener. – The rest of us did a very good job. I have podiums from the World Cup, Ida was not far away last year and we know that Ragnhild can strike. If you can settle for the fact that we are at the top of the world as a team, that’s fantastic. Because it is a strong team, says the 27-year-old. – Unwarranted criticism The Vingrom runner thinks the criticism was strange. – I think people look a little darkly at the situation for no reason. We are a strong team and I think all six in the team can hit. There is good recruitment too, so I don’t quite understand where the criticism is coming from, says Knotten, and follows up: BACK: Karoline Knotten does not understand the criticism from the experts. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB – We cannot compare ourselves to the guys who have had that breadth for many, many years. But we have learned from them and had several hard sessions together this year and that has made us stronger. I think we will see that the girls’ level will be good in the future too. National team coach Sverre Huber Kaas has just put behind him a start without the team’s two biggest stars, but believes the rest of the team has taken another step. – I have not been afraid of the achievements, and I think it is unjustified to receive criticism that the best do not compete, when you know that it is the second best who will eventually take over for them. Then it’s fun to see that they fight back, says Kaas. He is satisfied that his runners are showing that they have done the work in the summer and autumn. – It is easy to think that we are not good enough and that we have not done a good enough job when the criticism comes. We don’t know how good it is, but fortunately we are getting some results here that show that we are on our way, he explains. – Not convinced Despite the achievements in the season opener, news’s experts are not convinced. – It is difficult to say as we have not seen them against any foreigners yet. Karoline did a very, very solid race on Saturday, but I’m a bit excited about what the people at the back were up to in the World Cup, explains Synnøve Solemdal. NOT CONVINCED: news’s expert Ola Lunde believes the women are not quite at their peak as of today. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB Expert colleague Lunde completely agrees. – It’s not just delivering at World Cup level when Marte and Tiril aren’t there. We don’t have the real ones, says Lunde and concludes: – I’m not convinced as of now, but I think they can fight for podium places. I am excited about a number of foreigners, and I feel that what the Norwegian ladies are doing is perhaps not quite the best, concludes the news expert.
ttn-69
– Looking darkly at it for no reason – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
