– If I were the WC favorite at home now, there would probably be a manager there, says Petter Northug, and points to the right. – And then John Northug would have been standing there kicking stones, he continues, and points to the left. – And then I guess you would have been told that you have one question left, he grins, and holds a finger up in the air. WARNING: Petter Northug believes Johannes Høsflot Klæbo must be cynical when the World Cup chaos drags on. Photo: Henrik Myhr Nielsen / news Petter Northug is not the favorite at the WC on home ground in Granåsen at the turn of February/March. That’s why he takes all the time in the world when he welcomes news to the summit in Livigno. – Here we can sit and talk until you get bored, he says, and throws out his arms. – Noise from another world This was definitely not the case in the late autumn of 2010 14 years ago, when the same man was actually the big favorite ahead of the WC in Holmenkollen. The media barely had access to what was then by far Norway’s most popular athlete. Petter Northug did everything to shield himself from unnecessary noise. For example, dropping the NM in Steinkjer ahead of the WC with a reason that can at best be described as a half-truth. Now it is Johannes Høsflot Klæbo who finds himself in the same situation as Northug did the last time the WC was in Norway. In Livigno, the old and the new ski king have had talks about what awaits in Granåsen, and how it should be handled. – What can bring Johannes down is the pressure that confronts him. This will be something different from the championships he has been to in the past. It’s the push around that he probably hasn’t felt to the same extent, says Northug to news. He thinks back to the WC days 14 years ago. – There will be pressure, and there will be a rush, and there will be hustle and bustle, and it is also about keeping a cool head in between when things happen. For a WC on home ground, which we got to experience in Oslo, there was noise out of another world when you were outside your hotel. WOULD CONDITIONS: Everyone wanted a piece of WC king Northug in Holmenkollen in 2011. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Thoughts about failing According to Northug, Klæbo and other Norwegian athletes will really feel the pressure in the last week before it breaks loose. – If you have put yourself in a position where you are on the Norwegian team, then thoughts begin to come that you can become world champion on home soil. But also that you can fail at home. You will get a number of ideas that you have to process and work with correctly. And make sure you are in the right place mentally when you stand on the starting line. It is priority one when you have qualified, he says. Petter Northug believes Klæbo has all the prerequisites to handle the external pressure, thanks to its closest supporters. – It is important for Johannes now, to have the device around him that keeps him protected, that looks after him, so that he can do this job. Being prepared when the season starts will be important. And especially when it starts to drag on towards the WC, because it is not certain that everything will go smoothly, says Northug, and points out that it did not at all for him in 2011. PREPARED: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo does everything to be ready for the WC both physically and mentally. Photo: Anders Skjerdingstad / news Heralds cynicism Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is no stranger to dealing with nerves. – I’m guessing it will be something like what I met in Pyeongchang for the first time. A pressure that I had never felt before. I’m sure I’ll feel something of the same now, if not worse. Now it’s just a matter of trying to come up with the methods you can to get through the ten days and get it done, he says. At the same time, the 28-year-old is determined to listen to the advice of his ten-year-old mentor. – There will be pressure towards the WC. Then we have to be cynical, he says. And continues: – I think I’ll probably be able to do that. The advantage is that you can throw the father in front of you and use it. But there is no doubt that you will be cynical. Klæbo is fully aware that the WC on home soil could be defining for his career. – Whether it goes well or badly, it will be something that I will think about for the rest of my life. So it’s just a matter of doing the job and being cynical and making the right choices now for the next four months, then we’ll have to try to make friends with people again afterwards, he says. The curse of distance Petter Northug points to an additional mental challenge that can go both ways for Klæbo: “The curse of distance”. Klæbo has nine WC golds and five Olympic golds on his track record. But the five individual golds have come in sprints. THE BIGGEST DOWN TRIP: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo crossed the finish line first, but never got a gold medal after the five-mile run in Oberstdorf. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB During the WC in Oberstdorf in 2021, Klæbo was disqualified from gold in the five thousand. In Planica two years later, he was beaten by Pål Golberg in the run at the same distance. – It is exactly this type of factor that can influence Johannes. The fact that he enters a championship number seven without having won distance gold, and then he feels the pressure that he has to deliver on home ground, and that that is what the people want now. He knows himself, and everyone knows, says Northug. Northug hopes Klæbo’s desire for revenge will surpass the fear of failing again. – The desire for revenge is something you think about. There are some ski races in the WC in which some gold medals will be awarded. In the end, it is up to me. Then I just have to enter that bubble and be in it. It’s just a matter of getting out the spade and digging deep, because it’s going to hurt, says Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Published 17.11.2024, at 10.35
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Petter Northug points to what could bring down Johannes Høsflot Klæbo in the WC – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
