– It’s like entering the Colosseum, as the gladiators did in the old days. You enter there and are surrounded by noise and crazy people, says Sturla Holm Lægreid about the conditions in Nove Mesto. The Czechs love biathlon and create a real buzz in the stands. Over 200,000 tickets have been sold for the WC, and sometimes the sound is so loud that it goes beyond the athletes’ prerequisites to perform. During the opening race, Tarjei Bø struggled to hear the seconds from the coaches due to the noise from the stands, and was never able to fully control how big the distance to the competitors was. – We heard nothing. So we probably have to make a better plan for the rest of the weekend. Because we have to get more seconds, we will get more out of our inner madness for the sprint, he says before Saturday’s news-broadcast WC race. You can watch the men’s sprint on Saturday at 16.30 on NRK1. SOUND PROBLEM: The runners out on the track are struggling to convey messages to the athletes because of all the noise from wild spectators. “Leave it!” During the WC’s opening race, the Norwegian coaches considered bringing out blackboards where they could write messages to the runners. It became difficult in the torrential rain that poured down over the arena. – Messages are important to pass on the tactics, but maybe we have to find a blackboard and chalk for the weekend. I’ve learned that if you write “leave it alone!” in the corner, no one wipes it out, says Bø. Little brother Johannes Thingnes Bø also says that it was difficult to understand the coaches’ messages in the most populous areas. Therefore, he had to be a little creative. STAR: Johannes Thingnes Bø. Photo: NTB – I was in a way prepared that there will be sound here, so I try to use my eyes, find the big screens and find information myself, quite simply, he says. Thingnes Bø nevertheless hopes for a change for Saturday’s sprint. – They place secondary zones where there are 10,000 people right behind, and that may not be the best place. According to national team coach Egil Kristiansen, it will be possible for the coaches to stand in better strategically placed places with slightly fewer people during Saturday’s race. – I didn’t really hear that many seconds out there, so I didn’t know that I was shooting for a WC medal, says Ida Lien after the women’s sprint. Hanna Öberg was looking forward to a good night’s sleep after the WC bronze in the mixed relay, but an unwelcome guest made sure she woke up early in the morning. Lægreid’s World Cup move Lægreid did not run a mixed relay on the opening day of the World Cup, but noted that his teammates struggled with the sound conditions. – You have to be a little prepared for that, so you don’t get caught in bed, he says. And reveals that both the iPad and speaker have been discussed as possible measures to achieve the secondings. Lægreid is also keen on the idea of using earplugs to maintain focus during the race. – I’ve tried it during races before to block things out, but then I struggled to get seconds. Now I’ve realized that it’s impossible to get it because of the sound level here, so now I might have to pull out the earplugs again, he says. LYDVEGGEN: Several tens of thousands of biathlon fans await Lægreid during Saturday’s sprint. Photo: NTB There will be a lot of noise for all the athletes, regardless of nation. The Swedes have also felt the pressure from the crowds. Sebastian Samuelsson caught some of the messages from the coaches on Wednesday, but fears that it will get even worse during the weekend’s race with even more people in the stands. – Then I might not hear anything, he laughs. – There is a very high sound volume. You don’t hear the coaching 100 per cent, so you have to glance back to be absolutely sure, adds teammate Elvira Öberg. Awakened by “Norwegian spy bird” 00:54 Mocked by teammates after bar photo 00:52 Celebrated as Norway: – Should have taken a somersault 00:43 “Shocked” by teammate’s first news interview 01:09 Show more
ttn-69
The public creates trouble for Norway – Lægreid considers World Cup action – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
