Marcus Hellner prepared for the WC.
Then he suddenly appeared – with a totally unexpected tattoo that paid tribute to both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gunde Svan.
“It felt right then and there,” he wrote.
Marcus Hellner is one of Sweden’s most prominent cross-country skiers this side of the millennium, and his credentials are nothing short of unparalleled. He won a total of three Olympic golds – two of them in relays – and one silver. There were also a total of seven WC medals for the Swede, who ended his career in 2018.
The unexpected tattoo
Hellner did have his battles with Norwegians over the years, but the traditional taunts that are often heard weren’t really Hellner’s thing. Rather, he let the results speak, and that is why his move before the WC in Falun 2015 was so incredibly unexpected, and it was no wonder that Petter Northug reacted so strongly.
Suddenly, with just weeks to go before the WC, Hellner uploaded a picture on Instagram, showing his backboard. There was also a huge tattoo, with the text “Only Gunde can judge me”, in Swedish: “Only Gunde can judge me”. The tattoo could clearly be seen as a tribute to Gunde Svan – but also Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has a similar tattoo carved into his ribs.
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Northug’s answer
The tattoo shocked the entire skiing world, but people were perhaps not as surprised when it turned out that it was just a joke. Hellner had made a commercial in true Rocky spirit, showing the tattoo.
– The film is made with a twinkle in the eye. For me, this was a fun thing and a good opportunity to pay tribute to one of our great skiing legends before the home WC, Hellner told Expressen.
But not everyone was equally amused. Hellner’s main rival at this time was Petter Northug, and he did not appreciate Hellner’s moves.
– I didn’t see the humor in it, said the Norwegian, and continued:
– I didn’t feel it was a dick, then it would be stupid to fight back.
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