Where there was American cheering for Jessie Diggins in the 10 kilometer race, things did not go so well for Rosie Brennan. – I had hoped for more today, Brennan admits to news. She was happy about the success of her team-mate, who won the first-ever World Cup gold in cross-country skiing for the USA, but also took the time to criticize the media for the coverage of the championship. – I was shocked. On Friday, the media lined up to talk to Brennan, who was predicted in advance as an outsider to win a WC medal. The reason was not the performance. On the classic part of the 15-kilometer ski change, she fell and lost one ski. The incident spoiled the race. Now she believes the media contributed to making things worse in Planica. On Instagram, she shared an emotional post on Monday. – I have won World Cup races and stood on the podium, but have rarely been stopped by the media. Yesterday I was stopped by every single media house in the WC. Most people did their best to get me to say something negative about the course or the organizer or anything negative, rather than focus on the fact that I didn’t give up. To news, she explains further. – Everyone wants you to say that the competition was bad or that the conditions were bad. I think there are so many great stories for every race. That’s why people like sports, because it’s uplifting and motivating. It’s more fun to focus on it. – How did it feel when everyone wanted to talk to you? – I was shocked. I have never been stopped ever, no matter what has happened. So I was very surprised that everyone cared when they were going to focus on the negative. It’s quite sad and heartbreaking, says Brennan. Johaug support The American cross-country runner receives support from Therese Johaug. – In a way, I understand Rosie. She is a good skier and has won world cup races. If you as an athlete notice that you don’t get as much attention when she goes fast, but when she breaks a ski and people say negative things about a track, then you can get a little annoyed. For a cross-country runner like Brennan who is not always fighting for the top places on the results list, such a one-sided focus from the press can lead to even more aggression from the athletes. – You get it rubbed in that your best chances of winning a medal didn’t go your way, says Johaug. SUPPORTS BRENNAN: Therese Johaug. Photo: Julia Marie Naglestad / news Was asked about Norway Brennan has two individual World Cup victories, both from Davos in 2020, and has a total of seven podium places in the World Cup. She also came third in the same place, just before Christmas. – At the end I was asked if Norway is ruining sport by winning too much. Firstly, there was not a Norwegian winner, so the short answer is no. Secondly, and more importantly, I think that the media coverage is what is ruining the sport. THE BATTLE: USA’s Rosie Brennan. Photo: Matthias Schrader / AP Brennen believes that the public watches sports because they want to be inspired, motivated and see something positive in a world that does not always offer positive news. Therefore, she wants to shift the focus away from the negative. – If we focus on what went wrong or every negative thing from a ski race, we lose the magic and it will kill the sport. The American teammates, Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern, support Brennan’s statements on Instagram.
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