– It is of course great to show that I have not finished at the top level yet, says Emil Iversen to NRK after the finish line.
– “I’m simply proud of it,” he continues.
Emil Iversen was dropped from the national team in May after a difficult season. Since then, he has been searching for answers to what is wrong. Sinuses will prove to be part of the main problem. He had them operated on in the spring. Today, the Truender device proved that the arrow is pointing up.
– It’s been a bit difficult last year, with a lot of bad experiences. Having good experiences means a lot when you’ve had a lot of bad ones, says Iversen.
Emil Iversen had to perform well to secure a place in the World Cup.
Image: NTP
Iversen also finished second behind Johannes Hosflot Kleibo over the same distance last year.
He had to perform
Outside of the national team, Iversen had to perform in Beitostolen to secure a place in the World Cup. But Iversen didn’t feel that pressure himself.
-I think there are a lot of strange comments from the side that you have to communicate. I don’t feel like I’m holding a knife to my throat at all. I haven’t skied much this year, I have to get some time to start, Iversen tells NRK.
When asked if he was ready to race the Roca World Cup, he responded with the following:
– no no no!
– Would you say no if asked the question?
– Yes I think so. I’m really looking forward to going to Gålå and I continue:
– I am now in a very safe environment, with my friend and family. Then it would be scary to tour with those guys over there again. Maybe I’ll have to take the lady to Finland in that case.
The World Cup team has not been determined
National team coach Eric Mir Nosom believes that the most important thing for Iversen is to have more good experiences.
– No matter if it’s a club race in Grova or a World Cup in Roca. I’m so happy for him, yesterday and today. Nosom told NRK he hasn’t run many races in recent years, and a few of them have been good.
National team coach Eric Mir Nosom.
Photo: Terry Pedersen
– Now he has to build on this further, he continues.
-Is it suitable for Roca?
– It’s always better to be fast versus slow when it comes to withdrawals. Then, as usual, Roca is difficult to reach.
-Are you not sure about any of the places?
– No, I’m not sure of many places, which won’t reveal whether Iversen is part of Roca’s World Cup squad or not.
Valnes achieved a double victory
Friday’s sprint winner, Eric Valnes, showed he has strength left in him as he claimed a double win today.
– Did Valnis find a shortcut from 7.6 kilometers away? Emil Iversen is far behind, exclaimed Jan Post, NRK’s expert commentator, when he saw Valnes’ time at the crossing point.
Eric Valnes took the win in Friday’s opening race.
Photo: Geir Olsen/NTB
-Freight train coming from the north, that ending was quite extreme. He went so fast that the clock and the drawings couldn’t keep up, Torgeir Bjorn added.
However, his biggest rival was Iversen, but Trønder struggled at the end and finally finished 18 seconds behind Valnes at the finish line.
-It feels so good, it worked out today. There were good pitched roofs and good diagonal roofs. I felt like the opening cost too much on the hair. Arild stood on the ground and shouted a few words that made me sink, Valnis says after the victory.
“I’ve had a good feeling for a long time,” he continues.
The men’s 10km race went through beautiful scenery in freezing temperatures in Pitostol. It wasn’t as cold as it was when the women walked the 10km. Because when Heidi Wong emerged victorious, the thermometer dropped to 17.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum permissible operating limit is 18 minus.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
