Marit Björgen and Therese Johaug’s former coach Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass are the new coaches of the Norwegian women’s cross country team.
Norwegian skiing legend Marit Björgen becomes the coach of the Norwegian women’s cross country team. He splits the coaching responsibilities in half with another new coach Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplassin with.
Mikkelsplass is remembered as a champion skier from the turn of the 2000s, but he was also after that the Norwegian skiing star Therese Johaugin as a coach.
The Norwegian newspaper VG was the first to report on the matter by Björgen’s transition to coach is a “shock acquisition.” Also Norwegian TV2’s skiing expert and skiing icon Petter Northug was surprised of the solution.
The need for new coaches arose when Stig Rune Kveen resigned a month ago.
When Björgen was contacted, the Norwegian legend was not immediately accepting the wash. Björgen has two young sons at home and was not 100 percent ready to be a national team coach. After a week’s discussion, Björgen was ready to accept a 50 percent detergent.
The Norwegian women’s ski season that ended was really sad. The Norwegian media tuned in several times to flop and disaster headlines.
Björgen, an 8-time Olympic winner, 15-time Olympic medalist and 18-time world champion, said he was looking forward to something new.
He has a grip on the present, as he worked as a skiing expert at Norway’s Viaplay last season. According to Björgen, as a TV expert, he has been eager and curious about what is being done in the national team and what could have been done differently.
Björgen honestly admits that he has no coaching experience apart from guiding his son, but recalls that he has worked in elite sports for more than 20 years.
– I’m looking ahead. Here are some girls I know from a little earlier. But some I don’t know very well. I look forward to getting to know each other well. I get to see what they have done and what we can do differently. I want to create a feeling of safety and calm, Björgen described at the press conference.
The selection of Björgen and Mikkelsplass as national team coach once again made Therese Johaug’s return to the ski slopes a topic of conversation. NRK’s skiing expert Fredik Aukland interpreted coach selections as an open invitation for Johaug to return to the national team.
Björgen revealed that Johaug’s return has already been talked about.
– I have been close to Therese, but she has to make the decision herself. He has every chance. I have said that the sooner he makes a decision, the better. We’ll see what happens, but it depends on Therese herself, Björgen described.
The World Ski Championships will be contested next season in Trondheim, Norway, from February 26 to March 9. shows the competitions on its channels.