Petter Northug could hardly believe his eyes during the Tour de Ski award ceremony.
Now Frida Karlsson answers.
– It would have been strange if I was there on a stretcher, maybe…
The Tour de Ski’s final climb up a downhill is always dramatic. And Sunday’s grand final was no exception. Frida Karlsson had a lead of about two minutes, and when she crossed the finish line as the 15th rider, it was clear that she won the entire tour, as only the second Swede ever after Charlotte Kalla.
Northug’s shock
But it took a toll on Karlsson. When she crossed the finish line, she immediately collapsed, and she lay motionless for a long time in the finish line. Karlsson was finally helped out on a stretcher, and it was unclear for a long time how the star was actually doing. Many people were worried, but the organizer chose to run an award ceremony anyway, and there were almost parodic scenes when the Swedish national anthem was played – without anyone standing at the top of the podium.
One who reacted strongly was Petter Northug. The icon, now an expert on TV2, could hardly believe his eyes at the organizer’s choice.
– What is happening!? Here it is a victory ceremony, with Sweden’s national anthem without Frida Karlsson on the podium. This is not good. Here the organizer should have waited until Frida came back. It is perhaps only once in your life that you get to experience this, he says.
READ MORE: The teammates’ great anger – raging after the pictures of Frida Karlsson: “It’s over the line… So disrespectful”
Frida’s answer
Frida Karlsson says that she would have liked to participate in the ceremony, and that it was the first thing that popped into her head when she woke up after losing consciousness. But at the same time, she took the opportunity to joke about it a little.
– One of the first things I thought of when I woke up was: “When is the award ceremony!?”. It would have been strange if they put me on the stretcher on the podium maybe.
Petter Northug said directly that Frida Karlsson’s collapse is a sign of her strengths as a skater.
– It looks unpleasant, it’s terrible, it hurts like hell, but it’s harmless. It’s not the first time we’ve seen Frida like this. It is one of her strengths, he says.
READ MORE: The huge drama after the finish – Frida Karlsson collapsed and had to be left on a stretcher: “Shaking”