Two-time Olympic champion Petter Nortug believes that the return of Russian athletes might revive the competition, but so far this is not possible
Petter Northug
(Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Two-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Petter Nortug hopes that during the current season, athletes from other countries will be able to compete better with Norwegians, which is still lacking. About this he declared TV2.
“Foreign athletes from small countries are getting in shape for the World Cup and this is their main goal. I hope that the Norwegian national team will have more serious competition,” Nortug said.
According to him, the absence of athletes from Russia affected the competition. “Last year, the Russians were the strongest in the competition. They seemed to get better as a team. They are a little lacking, but we understand that they cannot be here. As for the competition, it’s a bit sad. This [возвращение россиян] can spice up the men’s races a bit. They have an incredibly strong team that will be missed even following Christmas,” added Nortug.
In the last start at the World Cup – the 20 km freestyle race in Davos – the Norwegians took six first places. There are now five Norwegians in the top 10 overall World Cup standings.
Russian skiers are suspended from international competitions this season. Last season, Russian Natalya Nepryaeva took first place in the overall World Cup standings, and Alexander Bolshunov became second among men.
