In Norway, the top skiers are annoyed by the “fiasco of all time” in the World Cup – Sweden also gets angry: “Disrespectful”

Norway’s stars Even Northug and Erik Valnes were left out of the pair sprint final in Livigno without a single scratch. Håvard Solås Taugböl and Sindre Björnstad Skar, on the other hand, fell in the final in a changeover situation.

At the World Cup in Livigno, pair sprints were skied, but Norway shined on the men’s side, unexpectedly being absent from the top lists. Even Northug and Erik Valnes were even left out of the finals, and nothing bad happened to them. Another Norwegian team, Håvard Solås Taugböl and Sindre Björnstad Skar on the other hand, fell in the final.

First, Taugböl and then Skar fell in the changeover area. They were eighth in the final.

– I looked behind me and thought that Håvard would give a kick. Then he lay on the ground and soon me too. I had to give a shout out to the Swiss team. People are moving like the grim reaper is behind and is going to kill us. People do a lot of stupid things, Skar told Viaplay according to VG (you will switch to another service).

According to the Norwegian and Swedish media, Northug, on the other hand, seemed to save energy in qualifying. Northug was only the 20th fastest of all the participants in his section. Valnes had to struggle for his part, but failed to get the team to the final. Valnes and Northug were the sixteenth in the qualifier and were the first to be eliminated from the final.

– This was fucked up. Not good, Valnes told Viaplay.

According to VG, Viaplay’s Norwegian expert Jörn Sundby called the Norwegian men’s performance an all-time fiasco.

Expert at Sweden’s Viaplay Anna-Karin Strömstedt wasn’t impressed either.

– They made many mistakes during the day. Worst of all, the first team skied in qualifying in a way that was disrespectful. I don’t know what they did, Strömstedt said.

Sports expert Ville Nousiainen welcomed the situation where there were no Norwegians on the podium.

– After all, it has been said that no one else can fit on the podium or win the games. So be it Johannes Hösflot Kläbo was not involved. They still had first category sprinters with them. They have also been good in pair sprints, Nousiainen stated.

The Parisprint qualifier was skied in a new way, where both skiers of the teams competed separately. The team’s result was the combined time of the pair. In the final, skiing is still done in such a way that each skier alternates three runs.

There were no Finns in the World Cup in Livigno, as the World Cup was held in Tampere at the same time.