Petter Northug Jr grabbed gold medal glory for Norway in the cross-country skiing in Canada recently. But how did the 24-year-old do it, what will he do next, and what would he do instead if he weren’t doing it?
You’re a pretty big name in the sport now. Would you rather be the favourite or still an unknown coming to an event?
Earlier in my career, I liked being more anonymous and to come from an attack position. Nowadays, that’s not so easy, but I think I can handle the pressure, and I’m comfortable with it.
You’re known as a strong finisher. Do you sit down and plan where in a race you’ll push and when you’ll pace yourself, like a marathon runner for example?
It’s very different for each and every distance and course. But usually I check out the course for one or two days and plan where to push, how to position myself before the finish, and where I can catch the most speed in the finish to start the final sprint.
You had some difficulty with your skis and ski pole in the opening two races in Canada. Was that frustrating for you? How did you keep your concentration?
Yes, it was really frustrating because I felt I was in the shape of my life. So I focused on finding out what was wrong and why, and then I left the bad results behind me and started focusing on the next race.
Having missed out on the 2006 Winter Olympics, are you happy that you proved the doubters wrong this year with the gold medals?
Yes, I’m kind of happy that they picked the best skiers to participate this time.
'Winning that 50k medal was both surprising and overwhelming'
How did you celebrate after your wins in Vancouver?
We had to go to Vancouver for the prize ceremony, so we celebrated a bit with the other Norwegian athletes in the Olympic village there. But after the 50k, I was so battered that I didn’t manage much of a celebration. So I’m looking forward to the party that Red Bull are having for me at home when the season is over.
How does winning an Olympic title compare to your early victories, like the Junior World titles back in 2004–5? Is the thrill the same?
I will always remember the first ones, but an Olympic medal is the greatest thing a winter sports athlete can ever achieve and what you dream of from when you’re a kid. And the 50k medal is hanging highest of them all, so winning that was both surprising and overwhelming.
What three words best describe your overall approach to competition?
Plan. Visualise. Finish.
What’s your next big target in the sport?
To win the overall World Cup [which ends later this month] in the same year I take an Olympic medal would be fantastic. And then it’s the World Championships on home turf in Oslo 2011.
If you weren’t a skier, what do you think you would be doing as a career?
As I’m sole heir to our farm, I would probably be a farmer. Luckily, I took good care to make sure I became a skier!
Keep up with Petter’s progress in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup at fiscrosscountry.com or his own official website at tronderweb.no/teamnorthug
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