– Where is the knowledge? This is Henrik Kristoffersen’s brutal message to the Norwegian national team manager who made his tasks more difficult during a World Cup race in March. – The track was not very well laid out for me. It was really well set for Matt Odermatt, who has been on the podium in the downhill and won super-G races, won many giant slalom races, he says in the new documentary series “Outsideren Henrik” on Viaplay. In alpine skiing, it is the coaches of the various nations who decide the gate positions, and in the final round of the giant slalom race in Kranjska Gora it was Norway’s turn to set the course. Kristoffersen was the best of the Norwegian alpinists, and it is a well-known fact that he thrives best when it is technically demanding. Nevertheless, the Norwegian coach chose to set a course that could appear to favor the athletes who are better at speed than technique. It caused frustration among the Norwegian Alpine set. – It is a Norwegian course setter, and then they set down as straight as they did in the second round there, says a clearly disappointed Kristoffersen. WON: Henrik Kristoffersen won two out of two competitions in Kranjska Gora, and at the end of the season he was rewarded with the slalom ball. Photo: Giovanni Pizzato / AP “Don’t say anything stupid” Despite the unfavorable course setting, the Norwegian went on to win the race, and in the documentary series he does not hide that the victory tasted good for several reasons: – When I saw that it was set like that, then something went wrong inside me. The best thing there is to refute people, says Kristoffersen. The 28-year-old is part of the Norwegian national team, but he has a completely separate system, and he is therefore not trained by the Norwegian national team managers. Instead, he has his father Lars Kristoffersen as team leader for a separate team. In the documentary series, it emerges that the father was stressed for his son to say what he thought about the national team coach’s route setting in the interview after the race. – Don’t say anything stupid, was the clear message. In the heat of the match, he answered the following to licensee Viaplay about the track: – I had hoped for more turns, but that’s how it is. If I drive like I do now, it shows that it doesn’t matter that much as long as I ski well, Kristoffersen said at the time. – The knowledge is absolutely present It was former alpine coach for the national team Anders Husby who set the course in Kranjska Gora. He points out that all the Norwegians impressed greatly in the second half, and there were only green numbers for the Norwegian athletes. Among other things, he singles out Rasmus Windingstad, who had the fifth best time in the second half. – We were very happy with the race, and it was completely intimate with Henrik. He had the second best lap time that day, and we are very happy with that, says Husby to news. He also responds to the criticism of knowledge from Kristoffersen. – The knowledge is absolutely present. We have a team and we know what our runners are good at. We have knowledge of that. We hit very well when Lucas Braathen takes one hundredth in the second half, says the former national team coach. Understands the frustration Lars Elton Myhre, news’s alpine expert, points out that it is quite common for coaches to set routes that are advantageous for their athletes. He can understand that Kristoffersen was given up at the time. – I can certainly understand that he gets frustrated. But there are many considerations the coaches have to take into account, including where the track is and looking at the route. You cannot place the gates anywhere. So I understand his frustration, but I don’t think it was done with a purpose against him, says Myhre. Like Kristoffersen, Myhre also points out that tracks with few turns are basically suitable for competitors like Odermatt. At the same time, he allows himself to be impressed by how adaptable the Norwegian alpinist is. – When he is fit, he wins in all conditions. He is extreme in difficult situations. It’s almost like the harder it is, the better it is for him. There are few who have the stability and technique that he has, says Myhre. For the men, it is a while until the next giant slalom race in the World Cup. There are both slalom and giant slalom in Val d’Isère on 10 and 11 December. This is how the giant slalom race ended on 13 March:
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