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Norway got off to a crisis start in the first relay of the season when Karoline Knotten was unlucky and went downhill in the first round.
– I can’t do it today, and there’s a lot of nonsense along the way. I am crashing correctly. It’s tight and a bit typical for girls in a joint start, that everyone comes all the way. You step on my skis from behind, and when I get up, the smoke comes from behind and cuts my grass. Everything went wrong, he explains to NRK with tears in his eyes.
I got snow on the gun
She came in third-last out of 21 starters, and the stress didn’t subside when the 25-year-old struggled with the last shot. Knotten spent more time, but eventually gained control and avoided a penalty round. Outside, he was 1.12 behind the American leader.
– I get snow in the bag and I point when I fall, so I don’t see anything and it becomes difficult to shoot, he tells NRK.
As he stood up, the problems continued. After four shots, he began to have trouble with the extra shot and lost a lot of time again.
– It is terribly painful to see an athlete have such big problems, said Ola Lunde, an NRK expert.
– It’s the ultimate bad luck, says Ole Kristian Stoltenberg in the studio.
– I feel sorry for everyone
The knob was set on the Norwegian relay team, which won every relay, last season. But even then not everyone went without pain. At Oberhof, he also fell in the first stage, destroying the rifle. It ended in tears, but Norway won.
On Saturday, he sent Tiril Eckhoff in 19th place, 2.39.2 behind the Belarus leader.
– We can encourage others and we hope they can lower their shoulders, so that they have good experiences. I’m messing up a relay again, and I apologize to all the girls and I apologize to everyone at home. It really hurts to be the one to destroy the whole team, says Knotten.
RIGHT BELOW: Both Karoline Knotten (right) and Dunja Zdouc of Austria fell to the ground.
Photo: ANTTI AIMO-KOIVISTO / AFP
– It must be almost an earthquake if Norway wants to return to this relay, commented Andreas Stabrun Smith as Norway entered the second stage on their feet.
Penalties for Eckhoff
Eckhoff received four booms and eventually had to come out in three penalty rounds. He passed out more than three and a half minutes behind France.
– I tried to do everything I could, I did everything I could. Then I took a risk and found it too difficult to stand up. But when we first fail to keep up, we can walk properly on the muzzle. It’s weird, and damn weird for Karoline, says Eckhoff.
– We can only back it up. We win together and we lose together. Karo and I weren’t good enough today, he adds.
Ingrid Tandrevold did what Eckhoff did and started with a full house out there. Then Norway moved up to 15th place after five shots. He had to use the three extra shots while standing, but escaped the penalty rounds.
– We feel like we belong at the top, so it’s no fun going to a relay like that. There probably isn’t a biathlete who hasn’t done a bad relay, and then it could get a bit tricky. We can only travel with the old woman next time, says Tandrevold.
Sweden best – Norway rose
Mars Olsbu Røiseland finished 13th. The World Cup queen shot smoothly, and Norway climbed the results list to eighth place.
– I saw that we had a difficult starting point and Karoline had no luck. I didn’t get much else out of myself, other than going back a bit. That’s how relays are sometimes, things happen. We were lucky last year and we won all the relays. It is not a matter of course, because there are many tough competitors and it is part of the game, says Røiseland.
– I understand Karoline is sorry. It’s natural. She is neither the first nor the last, so we must support her the best we can, she continues.
The victory was between Sweden and France. Hanna Öberg was the strongest in the last stage and lived up to the favorite stamp. France came in second place and Germany in third place.
- On Sunday, the women will start hunting in Kontiolahti. It will be shown on NRK 1 at 15.10. The men’s relay runs at 12.40.
