Illness and injuries have marked much of the last year for Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. The 27-year-old won 16 World Cup races last season, but was still only second overall after illness marred the start of the season and he had to sit out the Tour de Ski after catching the flu. This summer, an elbow injury and a new bout of illness got in the way of the cross-country star. A “bad summer”, says Klæbo to news, about the cold that stuck in his body for three weeks. – There has been a lot of crap in the last year with all sorts of things. I’m getting older too. I’m not 20 anymore. When I was 20, nothing really mattered. Now you are almost 28 years old, and now you have everything, says Klæbo, who turns 28 in October. – You just have to be even more cynical and even more smart in the choices you make with regards to recovery. I think that is the key, he says further. – What is the biggest difference between 20 years and 28 years? – I notice that the body needs a little more time to recover. At the same time, I know that I am still young at heart. I hope it will help me a little along the way. I hope it’s not over yet. Lost around 100 hours But despite the problem, he is not only negative about the period of illness, which came shortly after the elbow injury. – When I got that elbow injury right before there, it was perhaps a gift that I got sick. Then I took it easy. That elbow healed itself. In that sense, it can only be positive, says Klæbo, who also spoke to TV 2 about the troubled summer earlier this week. He also opens up about how many training hours he spent during the summer. – I guess maybe 100 hours. A little short of that. Between 80 and 100 hours, he says. These are not hours he intends to “make up”, but which only means that he enters the season with around 100 hours less in the bank. – Does it worry you? – No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t actually do that. It’s a long time until February, says Klæbo, who is going to the USA for a stay at altitude on Sunday. Taking inspiration from Thingnes Bø Klæbo completed the long run on Wednesday in Toppidrettsveka, but will be in action on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On both Friday and Saturday, there will be competition in Granåsen, where the WC will be held in about six months. He himself refers to his own form as “bad”, but takes inspiration from another Johannes. The biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø is known for having relatively moderate amounts of training in the summer, and recently spoke to news that family life has been the main priority in recent months. They met earlier this summer during the Tour de France, and Klæbo tries to draw inspiration from the biathlete. – I need a little more of his calm, low-stress life, I think. I think he thinks a lot about biathlon, but I don’t think he trains that much. That’s the difference, he says with a smile. PS! You can watch all the races from Top Sports Week on news. Published 15.08.2024, at 10.37
ttn-69
– Maybe it’s a gift that I got sick – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
