From today until eternity, cross-country icon Marit Bjørgen paddles in her home municipality, Midtre Gauldal in Trøndelag. – This is very big. I am both proud and humbled that the municipality has arranged and done this together with Rogne’s sports team, says the skiing queen. A 1.90 meter high bronze statue of her was unveiled outside Støren school and cultural center on Saturday afternoon. Now Marit Bjørgen will adorn her home village all the time. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news – I think it’s even nicer than I thought, says a satisfied Marit Bjørgen about the statue. – The village has meant an insane amount to me. Bjørgen is the most successful Winter Olympian of all time, with a total of 41 medals in the Olympics and World Championships. Among them there are 18 gold medals from the WC and 8 from the Olympics. The career started at home in the small village. – This is very big. The village has meant an insane amount to me. This is where it all started. This is where I have been able to unfold my dreams, says Bjørgen. Sculptor Merete Sejersted Bødtker has created the Bjørgen statue. She is behind a number of statues of Norwegian greats. The poets Halldis Vesaas and Per Sivle, polar explorer Roald Amundsen, actor Toralv Maurstad and bishop emerita and Rosemarie Köhn. Before the sculptor can seriously begin the design, she spends a lot of time getting to know the model’s physique, facial features and way of moving. It is not a job Bødtker takes lightly. One big challenge in making the Bjørgen statue She has had Bjørgen in the studio to analyze her up close. She has taken her to Holmenkollen to study her skiing technique thoroughly. She has looked at countless videos and pictures. – I had a huge challenge! Marit smiles in virtually every photo. And I can’t make a statue that smiles, laughs Bødtker. In addition to meticulous studies of Bjørgen, the sculptor has spent a lot of time looking at countless calf muscles, she says. – Like when I’ve driven a car behind cyclists. It has been helpful. – What is it like to be commissioned to immortalize people in this way? – I work for eternity. And what is happening here at Støren today is my exam. It is very special that the statue is unveiled in front of Marit Bjørgen and her family. The hope is always that they will think I have presented a credible position and her characteristics, says Bødtker. Immortalized for NOK 1.5 million It was the ski queen herself who pulled off the white cloth so that the statue could see the light of day. – I am incredibly satisfied with the result that Merethe’s team has achieved, says Bjørgen. Over 400 people turned up to witness the unveiling of the ski queen. Bjørgen herself met with her husband Fred Børre Lundberg and their two sons. The statue is in bronze. The plinth is fittingly made of white Støren granite. The same rock that covered the statue is standing on. Bødtker believes that Midtre Gauldal municipality has left nothing to chance, which she is impressed by. The rock makes the area under the statue of the ski queen look like snow. The price tag for it all? NOK 1.5 million for the statue and the surrounding area. Bronze better than gold? – We prioritize this because she is a fantastic role model, for the effect she has had in the local community and everything she has achieved. This is a thank you back to Marit. That’s what the mayor of Midtre Gauldal municipality, Trude Solem Heggdal, says. – It was worth the money, she adds. Another Trønder ski star was also recently carved in stone. The statue of Petter Northug – in gold – was unveiled in his home village of Framverran in July. – Marit, is bronze better than gold when it comes to statues? – In this particular case, I think so. I think the statue was very nice in bronze. I am very, very happy, says Marit Bjørgen. Published 07.09.2024, at 14.31 Updated 07.09.2024, at 14.44
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Marit Bjørgen unveiled her statue made by Merete Sejersted Bødtker at Støren – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
