On the results pages of cross-country skiing events, it is impossible not to see the multitude of red flags with blue crosses edged in white. On February 4, the men’s 10 kilometer individual freestyle event of the World Cup round in Toblach, Italy, provided further proof of this: the first seven runners to cross the finish line were Norwegians; the tenth too. “In fact, everyone who participated finished in the top 10, it’s incredible”summarizes the French cross-country skier Delphine Claudel.
Two representatives of the Scandinavian nation, Tiril Weng for women and Johannes Klaebo for men, currently dominate the overall World Cup standings. A hegemony to which the world championships in the discipline, which have been taking place since February 23, in Planica, Slovenia, have not escaped: six titles in eleven races contested.
During these ten days, Norway reigned unchallenged among the gentlemen, winning all the events already contested, while the start of the final race of these Worlds, the mass start (50 individual kilometers), is scheduled for Sunday March 5 at noon. At the previous edition of the world championships, Norwegian athletes, men and women alike, won nine of the twelve titles at stake.
Nothing surprising, “they go to school by skiing”, jokes Delphine Claudel. In the country, cross-country skiing is a national sport, which is passed down from generation to generation. Johannes Klaebo, one of the leaders of discipline, is for example trained by his grandfather. “There are a lot of clubs and family structures, which maintains a density “says Thibaut Chêne, coach of the French men’s sprint team.
A different training structure and method
“Many young people dream of being champions”continues the Frenchman. And the country has the means to match their ambitions, particularly in terms of research and studies on the physiology of cross-country skiers. Knowledge and know-how that place Norway in a virtuous circle. “They are in a monopoly situation because they are always one step ahead,” explains Thibaut Chêne. The good performance of its troops makes them attractive to sponsors, which ensures that they have the best equipment. “They have the ski market on their side, so they are also rarely caught out. Domination calls for domination”argues the tricolor coach.
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