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BEITOSTØLEN / OSLO (VG) Martin Johnsrud Sundby (36) broke the race in Beitostølen and now fears that back problems will end his career.
– We have turned a lot of stones. I do not get it. I can’t sit in hockey. This is potentially a stop. It evokes many emotions, Sundby tells VG.
Sundby disappeared from the stadium without saying a word on Saturday after finishing 40 in the 15-kilometer classic. On Sunday he prepared for the rematch on the ice rink. But it ended worse still, it broke. The reason is severe back problems in the lumbar area.
– Yesterday I was really cursed. It was difficult to talk to someone. It can potentially shatter all my dreams, says Sundby, who has to solve his back problems to save his career.
– Yesterday the blind fell. I needed time for myself. If I don’t solve this problem, I have no chance, says Sundby.
Holund won
While Hans Christer Holund set the winning speed at Beitostølen and won the race ahead of Harald Østberg Amundsen and Sjur Røthe, Sundby was helpless.
– If you can’t find your way out the back, is it over then?
– Yes, I can’t go on like this, Sundby replies.
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It took a long time for the press after the race. He answered questions about the back and whether the race can end over and over again. The 36-year-old is the current world champion in the 15-kilometer race. in Oberstdorf on Wednesday 3 March.
About halfway through, Sundby broke the race after sliding down the results charts. He was in 10th place after 2.5 kilometers, but then he stopped.
– This is the same thing that happened last year. I have big problems with my lower back. It is like knives in the back. We’re going blind right now, Sundby tells VG.
FEAR OF THE RACE: Martin Johnsrud Sundby after breaking the race on Sunday. Photo: Terje Pedersen
As he is out of the national team, Sundby must really convince this season to be able to go to the World Cup.
THIS WAS THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CHANNEL.
– I have to start over from scratch. The next target is NM. There it will be extremely important considering the World Cup. I have to start over and I don’t have time for more, Sundby tells VG.
WIN: Hans Christer Holund won the race 21 seconds ahead of Harald Østberg Amundsen. Photo: Terje Pedersen
Sundby says he’s been very down after the failure at Beitostølen.
– Yesterday I couldn’t bear to stop to speak, but frustration takes hold of me. I have no chance at this point if this is the case, says Sundby.
Sunday’s winner Hans Christer Holund says they haven’t been training that much together lately.
– But reports say he’s in great shape and has been all fall. I know you have trained well. He is probably well trained. But if you have a back that inhibits you so much, it doesn’t help, says Holund.
Sjur Røthe says it hasn’t been many weeks since he saw that it worked well for Sundby.
– It is so sensible that it has not burned the powder. And if it is put in order, it is one of those who ski the fastest. It has a sense of security at the World Cup venue, of course, says Røthe.
He believes Sundby will compete in the World Cup despite the decline at the beginning of the season.
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National team coach Eirik Myhr Nossum hopes Sundby will improve.
– There is no point skiing if you have back pain. Then you have to do cross-country skiing. So I hope you find out as soon as possible, says Nossum.
He thinks it’s sad if the rear stops Sundby from participating in the World Cup.
– He’s been a very prominent figure for Norwegian cross-country skiing, and he’s been hugely influential for the team you see now and that mindset. So I hope it has a better ending, says the coach of the national team.
