VAL DI FIEMME (VG) Mother May Bente Weng says it was very painful to see her daughter Heidi (32) struggle through some difficult years.
On Sunday, the aggressive Heidi Wong is fighting for a spot on the podium at the Tour de Ski. In the middle of the hill, mother Mai Binti Wong will stand and shout at her daughter.
– I hope Heidi is number two, says Mother Wong.
Heidi Wong It is number six before the last stage. She is one minute and three seconds behind American Jessie Diggins, while 20 seconds ahead of second place Jonah Sandling from Sweden.
Heidi thinks she can take 30 seconds on Jesse Diggins, and her mother agrees.
-But everyone can get to the ground quickly. If I hit the ground, I stood up myself and watched things go slowly, Mai Binti Wing tells VG on the cross-country field in Cavalese.
Mama Wong has seen her daughter ski touring several times. She is happy to see her daughter doing well, because there have been very difficult times in recent years. The daughter has suffered a strong dose of adversity.
- Wong had a difficult time during the coronavirus pandemic, and was afraid and found it difficult to travel to compete.
- Before the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022, she was infected with the Corona virus. Olympic smoke.
- She later suffered a concussion after falling on the ice. She suffered from a lot of headaches and a challenging daily life.
- In the 2022/23 season, she contracted crystal disease. Weng returned home from the toilet in Planica, ahead of the opening distance she was originally supposed to travel.
For mother May Penty, it was the final outcome when her daughter tested positive for coronavirus at a rally in Italy ahead of the 2022 Olympics.
“It's the worst thing I've ever experienced,” says Mother Wong.
The daughter has always been cautious after the start of the Corona pandemic. The 32-year-old has used a mask, goggles and gloves in meetings with the press in the past. She is now one of the few athletes who still wears a mask before and after competitions.
“Then I really felt it here,” Mother Weng said to VG, beating her chest.
– I felt really sad for Heidi.
Heidi Wong never went to China or the Beijing Olympics, and when she came out of isolation she returned home to Norway.
Mai Binti Wong believes her daughter fought well through all the adversity. She made it clear to her daughter whether it was worth it to return to the top of the world in cross-country skiing. Now Heidi is getting paid for her patience and effort.
Where do you think Heidi Wong will go in the Tour de Ski?
Earlier in the tour, the 32-year-old spoke about homesickness. She is looking forward to seeing her cousin again. Mother Mai Binti says her daughter has always been like this.
– This time she was away from home for a long time, they left after the trial in Trondheim. But Heidi is doing well, says mother Wong, smiling in the snowy weather in Cavallis.
The daughter is Norway's only hope on the women's side of ski racing. Heidi is one of four Norwegian women still on the Tour when only the slalom course remained.
Large amounts of snow were reported ahead of the combined start and final slalom on Sunday.
-No one will dare to leave. “It's hard to leave, and with this kind of weather, you don't get anything out of it,” May Binti Wong says.
She is a very good downhill runner herself and will go and run up the hill for the tenth time before cheering on her daughter.
– It's difficult up the hill, so much so that you feel a little nauseous. She told Heidi that she had to work her way up the hill, and she wouldn't get anything for free. “Go your own way,” says Mai Binti Wong.
Linn Svahn won on Saturday, holding a five-second lead over Heidi Weng in the recap, but Heidi's mother doesn't think Svahn can threaten her daughter overall.
– But we don't know what Frida can come up with. “But I will shout and help Heidi up the hill,” says Mother Wong.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
