On Saturday, Johannes Thingnes Bø did what he did in almost every single race last season: He won the season opener at Sjusjøen in superb style. But both towards the opening of the season and after the race, there were a number of verbal spats between the athletes on the recruit national team and the elite national team. – We have a culture that I doubt some other national teams in the world have. That’s what makes us so good, says the recruiting team’s Vebjørn Sørum in the live interview after the race. – But we are better in terms of results. Maybe they have a better team environment. It’s a wonderful effort by everyone, it’s good that we can be so many, Thingnes Bø answers. Sørum was third on Saturday, beaten by Thingnes Bø and Sturla Holm Lægreid. Close behind him followed the other athletes on the recruit team: Endre Strømsheim was number four. Mats Øverby was number six. Martin Uldal was number ten. Vetle Rype-Paulsen was number twelve. Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn was number 13. Elite runners Tarjei Bø, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal and Filip Fjeld Andersen were respectively number five, eight and nine. – I think it stings a little extra for the elite to feel that we are so close. They probably know a little about it, I hope so anyway, Sørum said at the press conference on Friday. On Sunday, there is a joint start of the program in Sjusjøen, starting at 12.30 for women and 2.15 for men. The joint start will be broadcast on NRK1 and news TV. Lægreid: – Our angriest competitors On the elite national team, they have noticed that there have been a number of messages from the recruits throughout the summer and autumn. – It is the weasel brother who never reaches that level there, so they will scream regardless of what happens in the future. Either they are the best or they are the absolute worst, Thingnes Bø told news on Friday. Asked about Thingnes Bø’s characterization of the recruit team, the recruits themselves answer: – That must be his word. He notices us. We will have to settle for that this time, says Mats Øverby. – We have to keep shouting a little louder and try a little more. We are betting that we will be able to catch up with him throughout the season, says Sørum. Sturla Holm Lægreid is someone who is happy that the recruits are reporting a little. – We have been missing a bit of Swedish-Norwegian communication, so when the Swedes are unable to perform, the recruitment team can take over. They are our fiercest competitor right now, he says. He nevertheless broke in when news in the press zone after the race asked Sørum about what he said about the environment in the recruiting team during the live broadcast: Thingnes Bø joked about beatings In the run-up to the season opener, Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn in particular had received a lot of attention. The recruit runner was totally superior in a test run at Beitostølen a few days before the season opener. It didn’t go as well on Saturday, where five misses ruined a top result. Thus, the road to a World Cup place looks more difficult for Botn, where large parts of the recruit team are fighting against national team runner Filip Fjeld Andersen. Norway will bring a total of seven athletes to the World Cup opening in Östersund later in November. There, already owners Thingnes Bø, Lægreid, Tarjei Bø, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal and recruit runner Strømsheim have been given the go-ahead. – I have incredible support from my teammates. We want to be our team on tour and keep it that way. I will do what I can and get an incredible amount of support from my teammates there, said national team runner Andersen before the sprint. That Strømsheim has been given the go-ahead was also something Thingnes Bø was in a joking mood about at the press conference on Friday. When asked whether the characterization of the recruit team as weasels who scream loudly was “a bit of a welcome” for Strømsheim, Thingnes Bø jokingly looked over his shoulder. – Is he standing here now? He’s going to knock me down, said the biathlon star with a big grin. Will bring the culture of the elite team Rekruttløpar Sørum draws primarily on the training culture as a success factor. – Everyone does the job. There are no bad sessions. We develop new sessions, new plans, there is always something to work on. People are curious about training, both physical and shooting. We have taken an extremely big step this year, he says, and continues: – If I or any of the others take the step up from recruit to elite, I hope we take that culture with us. Because I think he is better at recruiting than elite, so I must be honest. The 25-year-old, who made his debut in the World Cup towards the end of last season, emphasizes that he feels that there is a good atmosphere on both teams. At the same time, he emphasizes again that he believes the recruits are more eager to develop. – We cannot lie on the lazy side in the spring and summer, we have to “push” all the way. And then it’s a bit to give a little nudge, it’s necessary, he says with a smile. In the training work, the recruit team has, among other things, swore to the use of “double threshold”, a training method that has become really popular in Norway through Team Ingebrigtsen in athletics. – One is of course influenced. Both I and the boys have seen Team Ingebrigtsen on TV. Now sports are more accessible than ever, so you will be influenced, but I would just as easily say triathlon and cycling. We have many good people we discuss with there, says recruiting coach Anders Øverby. It is also told about weeks with around 30 training hours. – It is extreme. It is very extreme. But then there is the system we have created, which means that we have a good model for how we can detect when enough is enough. And they are extremely well trained. That is the foundation of it, says Øverby. Fastest cross-country times in the sprint Johannes Dale-Skjevedal: 23.17.5 Johannes Thingnes Bø: + 8.2 seconds Tarjei Bø: + 9.1 seconds Vebjørn Sørum: + 12.4 seconds Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn: + 15.1 seconds Vetle Rype Paulsen: + 26.3 seconds Endre Strømsheim: + 29.5 seconds Sturla Holm Lægreid: + 38.7 seconds Filip Fjeld Andersen: + 39.2 seconds Einar Hedegart: + 43.9 seconds For recruiting coach Anders Øverby, among other things, the speed in the cross-country trail an important part of the development. – What I hope most is to see that the boys are able to do the type of skiing that we want to do. We want to ski fast, have speed variations available, be fast and good at shooting. That is perhaps the most important thing. Then it starts to be so close to what we dream about, that then it can be very good, says Øverby. – Young boys full of “testo” Someone who knows what it’s like for both the recruits and the elite is Johannes Dale-Skjevdal. He is back on the elite team this season, after being with the recruits last season. – I was part of the recruit last year and the environment was very good, but that does not mean that the elite have a bad environment, he says, and continues: – There are a number of young people full of “testo” on that recruit team. We have a very good time at elite too, and I think Vebjørn knows that. He’s trying to throw some fuel on that fire. I think we all get on well together, me. I have been on both teams, and can confirm that I enjoyed myself in both places.
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– The weasel brother who never catches up – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
