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On January 7, 2018, he headed the Ski Tour. Since then, there has been a lot of adversity for Heidi Weng.
Now, however, the wait for another victory is over. With an impressive pull two kilometers before the finish, Weng distanced his competitors from the 30-kilometer hunting start in Engadine, which ended the World Cup season.
– It was very dignified, Weng tells NRK.
EVERYTHING REMOVED: The riot felt like glue. When Heidi Weng crossed the finish line, her forces were exhausted.
Photo: GIAN EHRENZELLER / AP
In the changing area, teammates Anne Kjersti Kalvå, Helene Marie Fossesholm, and the Udnes Weng twins shouted Weng’s name while clapping rhythmically.
Later, however, Weng admits that the move cost more than she had planned, and was nervous when Ebba Andersson approached the end.
– I had to go around a hundred times, and then I thought I shouldn’t go around so much to try. But it was so difficult to walk with the snow that was there, it was as if there was glue at the end, he describes.
Then stars
– The terrain was much longer than I thought. At the top, I saw a bit of darkness throughout, says Weng.
– He was so stiff. So I thought I would have to keep my legs low. I saw stars at the end, he admits.
CENTER: For the first time in more than three years, Heidi Weng was allowed to be in the middle of the mandatory picture with the top three.
Photo: GIAN EHRENZELLER / AP
Weng notes that the line was much tougher than when they tested the trail.
– When we were here to train, it was great speed down, and I don’t remember the pre-race floor being there once. I just hoped Ebba didn’t catch me. When I went to bed I thought “I really have passed the finish line”. But I had that, I think, so it was fine, Weng smiles.
– I was almost a little nervous at the end of Ebba catching me again, but I’m very happy. This was great, he admits.
ABOVE: Heidi Weng finished the season perfectly.
“Desperate” season
Ebba Andersson came in second, Julija Stupak from Russia came in third and Jessie Diggins from the United States came in fourth.
Heidi Weng continues to accumulate good experiences at the end of a difficult season. After the World Cup silver at three thousand last weekend, he revealed that the list of problems is long.
– I have suffered minor injuries, there have been illnesses, I have had insect bites and I have taken antibiotics. Everything has been completely hopeless, sorry, Weng said then.
The season that began with Weng breaking the first season at Ruka for fear of the crown, ended with gold (relays) and silver in the World Cup and victory in the final race of the World Cup.
– I think it has been a bit strange year with both. It’s been a roller coaster ride all year long, so it’s incredibly fun to end up like this. So I just have to keep in mind that it works fine if you’re in shape, he says now.
– It’s a lot of fun that she is the one to triumph, especially when we think about the challenges she had at the beginning of the season, says national team coach Ole Morten Iversen.
Three special miles
It was a very special three miles, starting at just over 1800 meters above sea level and ending around 1650 meters above sea level. But the snow and wind made the run tougher than the trail profile suggests.
The first four starters at the start of the hunt met early in a closed group. There, Weng and Andersson had to take turns going, while Diggins and Stupak seemed to thrive behind the backs of the close duo.
The match in the match was the outright duel in the away world cup, where Diggins led by 43 points before the final race of the winter. Therefore, it would be valid for Andersson with the victory, if Diggins did not exceed number four.
With a Weng victory in the race, Diggins won that duel. This also gave the American a good end to a historic season, says national team coach Ole Morten Iversen.
HISTORISK: Jessie Diggins.
Photo: Gian Ehrenzeller / AP
Historical diggins
She became the first American woman to win the Cross-Country World Cup overall, the first American in history to win the Distance World Cup, and the first American to win the Tour de Ski.
In 2013, Diggins participated in winning the first United States World Cup gold in cross-country skiing and in 2018 he participated in winning the United States’ first Olympic gold in cross-country skiing, both times in team sprinting.
In other words, Jessie Diggins is on the verge of becoming the best American cross-country skiing of all time, even though the WC in Oberstdorf was a slump in terms of results.
The WC’s top two long-distance runners, Therese Johaug and Frida Karlsson, did not participate in the World Cup final in Switzerland due to injuries.
