– We cannot call this a Norwegian championship. It is not worthy. I am on the verge of tears, says Torbjørn Broks Pettersen to NRK.
It was a despairing race director who was interviewed by NRK in the middle of the chaos of 20 kilometers of ski change at Beitostølen on Saturday.
Because it turned out that half of the starting field had gone wrong.
FIRST TO THE FINISH: Heidi Weng crossed the finish line first, but the result does not count.
Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
– Someone did not remove the ridge pans quickly enough. We have made mistakes. Weng and others went straight, while many went 200-300 meters too far in the first part of the skating, Broks explains to NRK.
Shortly afterwards he confirmed that the race would be cancelled.
– The jury has made the decision that this race must be cancelled. I, as the organizer, have made a mistake in sending the runners the wrong way, he continues.
Via race leader Broks, NRK is informed that the official who made the mistake does not want to be interviewed. The race management has agreed to protect the person.
Complete confusion
It was halfway through today’s race that chaos broke out. At first it seemed that Heidi Weng had gone wrong. But then it turned out that half of the starting field had done it, while Weng had gone correctly.
– There is complete confusion here, said Jann Post, NRK’s cross-country expert.
– This will almost be a parody of an NM race, he continues.
Before the incident, however, it looked like it was going to be Astrid Øyre Slind’s golden day.
Criticizes the decision
Slind was able to weed down to the rest of the field early on in today’s 20 kilometres. That gap just got bigger and bigger as the minutes ticked by. In the group behind, 16 runners tried to take up the chase. But Slind, who did not want a trick race, was 22.2 seconds ahead of Heidi Weng at 4.9 kilometers.
When changing skis, Weng had eaten up large parts of the lead. Nevertheless, Slind had a lead of 13.3 seconds, but when Weng went right and Slind went wrong, in the end it was the former who walked away with the day’s victory. Sophia Laukli was third.
Slind, who was among those who went 250 meters too far, says that she was surprised by what happened.
DISAGREEMENT ON CANCELLATION: Astrid Øyre Slind despaired after the organizer’s error ruined the NM gold.
Photo: NTB
– I had seen on the trail map that I was going straight ahead and was heading straight ahead, then I looked up and saw that it was blocked. Then I didn’t dare to go over, because it is usually difficult to go over the ridge pans. I didn’t think about whether to stop asking or anything. I just walked where the trail was marked. I became uncertain when I saw that Heidi went a different way, says Slind.
She is critical of the organizer’s decision to cancel the race.
– I think it will be a parody. In the race, you become uncertain and do not dare to go past the ridge pans, because there is a clink disk. I would rather have seen that Heidi got the gold, and the result stood. It just becomes a mess, she says and adds:
– There are some who have not done their job. It is really boring that the NM is canceled because of this.
Chairman of the cross-country committee, Torbjørn Skogstad, believes the decision was correct. He reasons that the athletes were not guilty themselves, but that they were shown the wrong course by the organiser.
DEFENDS CANCELLATION: Chairman of the cross-country committee, Torbjørn Skogstad.
Photo: NTB
– I heard it was 50 percent, but as much as 90 percent went a quarter of a kilometer too far. Then it cannot have the status of a Norwegian championship, says Skogstad.
– Then it will be wrong to choose a NM winner, when it unfortunately turns out to be something like that, he points out.
He further says that they are considering whether the race will be organized again, but that it is too early to say at the present time.
– What is it like to see Torbjørn Broks standing here crying after the race?
– Torbjørn was of course very distraught, I also think we should give him proper credit for his handling when the accident was over, then he shows leadership in a very good way, says Skogstad.
Was it right to cancel the race?
Yes, I think so. No, they should have kept their medals.
Show result
Stood with the cry in my throat
When today’s actual gold winner crossed the finish line, she was told that no medals would be awarded at Beitostølen on Saturday.
– When you asked if you went wrong, you went right, said the race director to Weng in the finish area.
He continued:
– The trail guard has made a mistake. He has sent half the runners the wrong way. Therefore we have to cancel the race. I am deeply sorry, continued Broks, who stood with tears in his throat and apologised.
Heidi Weng replied that she understood the decision.
– I don’t care about the cancellation. It was a good session for me. When I was told on the trail about cancellation, I thought it was me who had gone wrong, she said.
Weng tells NRK that she appreciated a good training session, but that she was put out when she thought she had gone wrong.
– I felt that I had heard for so long that I should go straight ahead. I stopped, plowed, and looked to the left, I also saw that Astrid was going another way, says Weng.
– I was told by Broks along the way that I had gone the right way. Nossum said I should just go, and not wait for Astrid, she continues.
During the men’s race, several people also kept going wrong early in the race.