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– The way things are now, you don’t want to take chances. I have set a goal for myself this year and that is to go fast in the World Cup. So I don’t want to take a bigger risk than I should, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo tells NRK, adding that he doesn’t want to contribute to an increase in infection.
On Monday afternoon, news came that Johannes Høsflot Klæbo had decided to drop out of the remaining World Cup races for the remainder of the year, which he announced to NRK on Sunday.
He will start a race in the World Cup again at the earliest when the Ski Tour starts on January 1.
– I’ve felt this for a while
In the press release, the 24-year-old says that the uncertainty has now become too great and that it feels bad to travel internationally when it involves contact with many people.
– I don’t want to expose myself to this. For me, it will be completely wrong. I take the consequences of that and go out this time, says Klæbo.
– I’ve been feeling this for a while. It started in connection with the World Cup final last season. The uncertainty intensified even more during our stay at Ruka. It seemed safer before we left than the situation in Finland.
Klæbo took second place in the sprint in Ruka. Now he’s taking a break from the World Cup.
Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva / NTB
– I feel that skiing and competitions are not very important in relation to the pandemic that is now devastating the whole world. Everyone has to do their part, and what they think is right. This is important and is the right thing to do for me, he adds.
Klæbo is now at home in Trondheim after the World Cup weekend in Ruka, and will likely start Saturday’s race in Lillehammer.
– Johannes has done a risk assessment up to the climax of this year, which is the World Cup, and prioritizes based on this. These are tough priorities that are respected and that show how determined you are working, Norwegian Ski Association cross-country manager Espen Bjergvig tells NRK.
He will not give a clear answer on whether the ski association itself will follow the lead of the World Cup leader and withdraw from competitions, but says they will make evaluations throughout the season.
– We are now in the middle of evaluating Ruka and what are the current World Cup races ahead. In an uncertain world, we will have to do this continuously throughout the season.
– A dramatic sign
NRK cross-country expert Fredrik Aukland makes little difference when commenting on the situation.
– It’s a dramatic signal to the international cross-country elite that the biggest star chooses to refrain from competing until Christmas, he says.
He adds that this is a sign that the Norwegian Ski Federation should also accept.
– At the same time, these are their strongest competitions with ice skating in Davos and ice skating and team sprinting in Dresden. He gives away lots of World Cup points and World Cup winning chances.
– It shows how serious you take the situation in which we find ourselves.
I had to evaluate after the infection in Ruka.
After it became clear that a crown-infected athlete was moving freely in the stadium area in Ruka for two days, Klæbo reacted.
– I have to go home and evaluate a couple of days and then we’ll see what we do. There is no doubt that it is tempting to go skiing in Davos, but we must look for possible solutions to get there. Either we have to leave awfully early and almost consider taking the car, otherwise we have to see what we’re going to do, Klæbo told NRK this weekend.
Now he is leaving the event in Davos, but is scheduled to participate in the Ski Tour, which will take place from January 1 to 10.
– First we have to see if the Ski Tour is organized. So I have to consider if I participate. It will depend on the infection situation, says Klæbo.
– I am betting on the World Cup in Oberstdorf, where I have the ambition to perform at my best. It will be the great sporting objective of the season. Now I will train well towards that goal, then we will see what the covid-19 situation is like when that time comes. I’ll do a new evaluation before then, he adds.
