Saved World Championship Dream in the Twelfth Hour: ‘It Has Been a Roller Coaster’

Norwegian cross-country skier Håvard Solås Taugbøl has experienced many ups and downs this season. On Tuesday, he received the long-awaited news he had hoped for.

Taugbøl, together with his national team colleague Ansgar Evensen, won the battle for the last two spots on the men’s cross-country team heading to the World Championships in Trondheim. The Norwegian Ski Federation has now confirmed that the selection for the men’s team is complete.

According to national team manager Ulf Morten Aune, the two runners have shown the best recent development in form. Either Taugbøl or Evensen will now join the sprint team at the championships along with reigning world champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Even Northug, Erik Valnes, and Matz William Jenssen.

Norway will have five entries in the distance events, a courtesy of Klæbo’s performance at the World Championships in Planica two years ago. As a result, the runner who does not make the distance lineup will have to settle for a reserve role, effectively ending further World Championship chances for that athlete.

“This is very big. Before the season, the World Championships and the skating sprint were my main goals, but there have been some bumps along the way. The season has been an emotional and performance roller coaster,” Taugbøl told NTB.

When the men’s World Championship team was first announced, only 10 of the 12 possible spots were filled. The final two spots were kept open until after the Engadin sprint in the World Cup on Saturday. In Engadin, five competitors—Taugbøl, Aleksander Elde Holmboe, Sindre Bjørnestad Skar, Evensen, and Oskar Opstad Vike—battled for the last two tickets. Taugbøl emerged as the clear best performer by finishing 5th in a final won by Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

“I felt it was important to perform under pressure at the very end. I went into the race with low expectations and managed to give everything I had,” said the Lillehammer-based skier, who has had a season marred by misfortunes but nonetheless clinched his World Championship spot in the nick of time.

Looking ahead, the skating sprint at the World Championships in Granåsen will open on Thursday, 27 February. According to national team coach Eirik Myhr Nossum, the athletes selected for the sprint and the first two distance races will be notified in late January or early February. The final team lineup will be publicly announced at a press conference in Trondheim two days before the sprint at Granåsen.

Taugbøl is scheduled to compete in the World Cup sprints at Cogne in Italy this weekend and in Falun in mid-February. Both races are held in the classic style and will not directly affect the World Championship selection since they are run in free technique.

(©NTB)