– A pleasure to watch – VG

All the 24-year-old World Cup victories have come this season, and after the triumph in Zakopane, all Norwegian jumping hearts are looking forward to Valentine’s Day – touch the Norwegian record of Roar Ljøkelsøy.

– It’s a pleasure to see you, Ljøkelsøy assures you, and hopes they will have it during the winter.

Trønderen has topped the Norwegian men’s “nobility calendar” since winning a total of 11 World Cup races between 2003 and 2006, but over the course of two and a half months, Granerud has achieved the same amount. The 24-year-old from Asker claimed his first career victory in Finland at the end of November and is unlikely to give up the big win in Poland on Sunday night.

Of course, no other Norwegian mare has achieved 11 wins in a season before him, and only three internationals. Peter Prevc holds the record of 15 individual victories in one season. Until Granerud started breaking boundaries this year, Ljøkelsøy also held Norway’s record with seven wins in 2006/07.

– When you are in such good shape, there is a completely different atmosphere in your body when you sit on it. You get your own energy. You know there is a good chance that you will win if you do a normal jump, Roar Ljøkelsøy describes to VG.

Ljøkelsøy knows well the moves that Halvor Egner Granerud has made from being a mediocre jumper in the World Cup circus last year to becoming the big star this year.

– I’m really impressed. You have done the work beforehand and then you have given yourself a chance to win the show jump. He went off the rails a bit on jumping week, but has fixed it. He’s so close to his optimal jump. There is little doubt, it is always “in”, says Roar Ljøkelsøy.

The season’s greatest ski jumping successes rise from record to record:

** No Norwegian male mare has earned more World Cup points during a season (1542) than that. Roar Ljøkelsøy also held the previous record with 1440 points in 2004/05.

** Halvor Egner Granerud has been on the podium at the World Cup 13 times this season. It is one more than the previous record of Anders Bardal (2011/12) and Espen Bredesen (1993/94).

** The Norwegian men’s national team has won 13 individual races at the World Cup this season. This is an approximation of the number of victories in 2003/04.

** As mentioned above: Halvor Egner Granerud’s 11 wins are also a Norwegian record for the number of World Cup victories in the same season (Ljøkelsøy therefore had seven).

VG asked earlier this week about his relationship to numbers:

– No, I love stats, logs and stuff, so if I could join some of them it would have been crazy. In a way, it’s something that I think is cool to watch, but at the same time it’s not something that influences me. I don’t feel like he has anything to say to me when I sit on the boom, Granerud said then.

– Norway has a fantastic history when it comes to jumping. What we have missed the most for many years is one. I don’t think we’ve had it to a level like we see here. We have had individual results that have been good, then they have disappeared again. We have a jumper that appears to have steel control. You make little mistakes here and there, so you know exactly what settings and buttons to press to go back again, describes NRK expert and former world record holder Johan Remen Evensen in the NRK study.

Robert Johansson was number 20 after the first half, but made a brilliant second jump and had the lead for almost the entire second half, until Anze Lanisek (3 in the first half) took over. The bearded jumper was number three and secured Norwegian’s double on the podium.

P.S! No Norwegian has more World Cup victories than Maren Lundby with 26. Number three on the men’s list is Anders Jacobsen with 10.