Detained at the airport: – Desperate

Gunnulfsen made his breakthrough when he won the 15km Classic in Beitostølen with half a minute this weekend.

The reward was a spot at this weekend’s World Cup and a secret offer from national team coach Eirik Myhr Nossum.

The national team squad has taken major contagious measures ahead of the World Cup in Finland, and that was also what Gunnulfsen’s course became.

Arrested

The 27-year-old explains to Dagbladet that he woke up with “sinus pressure symptoms” earlier today. He assumed it would pass quickly and got in the car toward Gardermoen.

– I wake up with a bad feeling in my sinuses constantly and constantly, but when it had not let go after a couple of hours, I had no other choice. Then I had to call the management of the national team and present everything. He couldn’t take any chances, Gunnulfsen tells Dagbladet.

The 27-year-old says he understood what the conclusion was going to be as soon as he picked up the phone with coach Eirik Myhr Nossum and national team doctor Øystein Andersen.

There and then it was decided that he would stay home.

– How did they react?

– They appreciated the honesty and said they should do a quick assessment if I could catch a later flight. It was quickly concluded that it did not work.

– How are you doing right now?

– It goes well then. I think it’s terrible as an athlete, but as a person, this was the only choice I could make.

Øystein Andersen is on the plane to Finland and has no answer to Dagbladet’s question on Wednesday morning.

– terrible

Before the incident on the way to Gardermoen, the Beito winner had sent an SMS to Steinar Mundal, Gunnulfsen’s coach at Team Telemark.

– He is healthy and not contagious. This is something he has struggled with many times. He ran three races at Beitostølen and felt it a bit after the races. He was training last Tuesday. It’s certainly not that easy to make the decision right there, Mundal informs Dagbladet.

Mundal describes Gunnulfsen as “very honest and obedient”:

– He’s completely desperate, but at the same time I think he also felt it as a relief. Someone could have left without saying it, but he felt like he would have scared others if he hadn’t said it, says the technician.

Will fight back

This weekend’s world cup was a golden opportunity for the Ørn IF rider. He told Dagbladet in Beitostølen that the season goal had already been reached when he was allowed to go to Finland, but now the dream has come true.

Today’s stop continues with a long series of adversities for the 27-year-old, who also lost the three NM miles at Konnerud in February when he fell and came off the shoulder joint after 15 seconds.

– What consequences does this have for him?

– I don’t think it goes beyond the season. You have a week until the Lillehammer race. You just have to aim to come back after Christmas and towards the World Cup. He won at Holmenkollen (he became number eight at the World Cup in March), and at Beitostølen this weekend, Mundal says.

Gunnulfsen’s next race will now be the Norwegian Cup at Lillehammer 5-6. December.

– Not being Finland means that I have to take care of these gutters in the future. the plans ahead. Now there will be a 100 percent focus on Lillehammer, Gunnulfsen tells Dagbladet.