– I was cursed, thunders Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen to news. The 31-year-old aims for the World Cup wreck ahead of the runs in German Oberhof last week in favor of World Cup debutant Johan-Olav Botn. Now the Geilo runner opens up for the first time about the wreck when news meets him in Rupholding ahead of the weekend’s competitions. – I have gone a little underground in recent weeks. It has been a bit two-fold, he begins and offers a larger explanation: – I wanted to give Johan peace of mind when he was to make his debut in the World Cup. It’s not easy in the first place and it wouldn’t have been easier if I had stood sullenly on the sidelines and complained about the withdrawal. He continues: – I also did not want to spend time on incompetent decisions. By incompetent, I mean that the union has partly ignored one of society’s most important principles: There is a precedent. – They then move away from self-created precedent to such an extent. It pisses off our assumptions and predictability as practitioners. I have wanted to spend as little time and energy as possible on it during Christmas. The national team: – Agree to disagree Illness in the late summer led to uncertainty in the run-up to the season, but Sjåstad Christiansen, who ran all the World Cup races before Christmas, felt he overachieved at the start of the season. Then the Oberhof wreck came as a surprise to him. – As it has become now, it is loss, loss and loss for everyone. Johan-Olav lost because he didn’t have a good experience in Oberhof, I lost because I wasn’t allowed to go to Oberhof and the association lost because they are sitting with an athlete who is cursed. The national team runner is clear that “I was and I am reasonably dissatisfied”, and laughingly he tells how he used national team manager Egil Kristiansen to vent his frustration with the national team management. NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER: Egil Kristiansen Photo: Anders Boine Verstad / news – He did not agree and did not understand the arguments. It is okay. This is how withdrawals are made and you don’t always agree. We agreed to disagree, says Kristiansen to news. – What was the reason? – The reason is the balancing act between being fair to athletes who come up and who perform very well, versus giving security and safety to the athletes who are out on tour, the national team manager replies. Fly cursed: – Doesn’t belong Sjåstad Christiansen believes the national team management does not live up to the withdrawal criteria the association has set itself. – It must be a set competition, by all means. If I am kicked out on the same terms, we have nothing against it. We are used to great competition in Norway and there should be no set team. But you cannot choose to do it one way for some athletes and another way for other athletes, he says. – How cursed were you? – I was completely cursed. Much with the arguments with precedent that have been created. If you want to have peace in the ranks of society and in a group of athletes, I think it is important to follow a precedent and not turn around on a whim. Then it becomes uncertain to be performers. – How would you describe the precedent, Kristiansen? – All cases have different arguments. All cases are different and sometimes we assess differently. This will also be the case in the future. news’s biathlon expert Synnøve Solemdal says she understands that the management wants to give opportunities to the runners who perform well in the IBU Cup, but that Christiansen also has reason to be frustrated. – It is very important for those who bet that it is possible to reach the World Cup. I understand that it is a difficult choice for the management to make, but what is important is that they communicate it well to the runners so that even those in the World Cup know what they have to perform at all times in order to continue, she says. Solemdal believes that the wrecking of Christiansen means that no one feels completely safe in the place. – Does Christiansen go with increased pressure in Ruhpolding? – Basically, he will be able to qualify for the WC on his own by being top 15 in the World Cup, but I understand that it presents a challenge for him in being able to trust coaches and have confidence in the management when you get a bit of a bang out of the blue, she says. PS! Johannes Thingnes Bø is uncertain about Thursday’s news-broadcast relay due to illness.
ttn-69
– Pissing at our assumptions – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
