The self-proclaimed exerciser Sigurd Elvebakk Herrera is better than most at skiing. He is still miles away from being able to represent Norway in a championship. Sigurd, on the other hand, has one chance that most exercisers do not have. He has two citizenships. He was born in Norway, but his father is from Chile. That gives him the opportunity to represent his father’s homeland. With that, he hopes to stand on the starting line with the world’s biggest ski stars in Trondheim next year, during the World Ski Championships. Belongs at Bestemorenga Sigurd Herrera is training for the road to the WC sprint at Bestemorenga in Bodø. Between life as a father of young children and a teacher, news has been able to take part in one of Sigurd’s seven sessions a week. – Then you have finished the session, how does it feel? – Good, I thought it would be heavier because I felt so reduced yesterday, but I slept well last night. Nothing is left to chance when Sigurd trains. He must cut the distance to the skiing stars drastically. The WC sprint takes place in skating, and therefore Sigurd Elvebakk Herrera mostly trains skating. Here from Bestemorenga in Bodø. Photo: Vetle Mathiesen Knutsen / news Twelve months before the WC starts, he estimates that there is a 30 second difference between him and Johannes Klæbo. – I have to cut it down brutally if I’m going to be in the top 30. Because if Sigurd were to qualify for the WC sprint, he hopes to be able to fight for a place in the finals. Then he must be among the top 30 in the prologue. Facts about sprints Race time is around three minutes. First, everyone goes a prologue alone, and in the WC the 30 fastest in the prologue go on to the quarter-finals. In the WC finals, you go into pools of six, and the two fastest in their pool go directly to the next final, as well as the two fastest race times of those who did not go directly to the next final. So-called “lucky loser”. But his biggest obstacle is still being allowed to stand on the starting line, which can be a big enough challenge in itself. Travels to other parts of the world In order for the WC dream to be fulfilled, Sigurd must get higher on the ranking list. But that can be problematic: because in Scandinavia the level of the athletes is very high. Therefore, Sigurd will have to look beyond the boundaries in order to improve his own ranking. – I can’t compete in any races in Norway or in Scandinavia, because then I will simply be crushed and get beaten up. I am nowhere near the level of the other Norwegians and Swedes who bet on cross-country skiing. Sigurd will soon start the hunt for the points he needs to go to the WC in Trondheim. Photo: Vetle Mathiesen Knutsen / news The WC dream will not just be a physical test. He also has to deal with his wallet. – I have to find ski races in Eastern Europe, Chile and Latin America where the competition is manageable enough that I can get so high on the results list. Then I get the points I need. So it requires a lot of travel, and that is what becomes the challenge beyond the training. Sigurd has not calculated how expensive it will be, but concludes: – It is expensive to travel and it is expensive to take time off from work. So it will be a challenge. Right strategy news’s cross-country commentator Jann Post believes that if Sigurd can improve a little over the next twelve months, he certainly has something to do in the WC sprint. news’s cross-country commentator Jann Post. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB He says that 30 seconds faster than Johannes Klæbo in a sprint is actually not that bad. – It may sound like a lot, but then you ski quickly. People can only try that themselves. In the WC sprint, Post estimates that one must be between ten and twelve seconds behind the winner of the prologue to be among the top 30. In the hunt for FIS points, Post believes that Sigurd is choosing the right strategy by not competing in national races. – In Eastern Europe the level can be quite high, but in South America the level has not been very high. Post thinks it is important for skiing that it reaches large parts of the world. It is not the first time that skiing has reached the world. Here the Kenyan cross-country skier Philip Boit is congratulated by Bjørn Dæhlie at the 1998 Nagano Olympics Photo: Gunnar Lier / NTB scanpix – I think it’s fun that people are motivated and try to get to the WC, and depending on the level you start at It’s a pretty tough job, says Post. And if Sigurd manages to reach the WC, the main character has the following to say: – Things have to work out, I have to have some luck and I have to be good. There’s a lot that needs to go the right way, but now I’m going to try and at least then I can’t blame myself for not trying. Sigurd will give the WC dream a proper try. Photo: Vetle Mathiesen Knutsen / news
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Sigurd (32) dreams of going to the Ski WC in Trondheim for Chile – news Nordland
