Johannes Hösflot Kläbo has left the Norwegian national team.
That causes Calle Halfvarsson to react.
– It is a failure, he says.
It has been the big talk in Norway lately. Johannes Hösflot Kläbo is the world’s best skier and really there is no one who is even close. Kläbo has won everything that can be won, and is well on its way to becoming one of the most successful ever.
“A failure for everything and everyone”
He is a national hero in our neighboring country, so his decision earlier this year came as a surprise. Kläbo has chosen to leave the Norwegian national team for next season, for a venture on his own. At the same time, he was critical of the national team, and believed that many of his teammates deserve a bigger financial investment.
Now even Calle Halfvarsson, perhaps Sweden’s biggest star on the men’s side, reacts strongly to the announcement.
– First of all, it is sad for the Norwegian team that they do not get their best skater in the training group. He is the one who gives the best sparring and sets a level, he sets the best level in the world. The fact that they don’t get him is a failure for everything and everyone in the Norwegian team. It’s sad for them, but then Johannes will certainly manage the training well anyway, it will probably work out, says Halfvarsson to Aftonbladet.
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“It’s going to be tough”
Halfvarsson now guesses that the Norwegian men’s national team will be negatively affected by Kläbo not being part of regular training.
– I think so, it will be tough. I know for myself that for many years between when these young lads came and when Marcus Hellner, Johan Olsson and these old foxes were very good, there was a gap, it was quite a struggle for me. William (Poromaa) and the others hadn’t quite come up. I had company at the national team camps, but maybe not the sparring you need to be pushed and see if you keep up with the best or not, says Halfvarsson.
Halfvarsson continues his explanation:
– The level that Kläbo sets now disappears during the summer for many of the skaters who are on the national team. Now maybe someone or a few will train with him, but I get the impression that he trains a lot by himself. Those who live in Trondheim might train with him a bit, but those who don’t live in the same place won’t get the bar Kläbo puts on hard sessions. It can certainly affect a lot, I think.
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