The 28-year-old Pro Team skier understood early on that only cramps could prevent him from beating Johannes Høsflot Klæbo in the Norwegian Championships’ 50-kilometer race.

Last Friday, he took the bronze in the Norwegian Championship’s 10-kilometer race. On Saturday, he crushed Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and took gold in the 50-kilometer race with almost a minute’s margin.

After several years of setbacks, the newly crowned Norwegian champion ended his traditional cross-country skiing focus and switched to long-distance skiing and Ski Classics. Now, Eirik Sverdrup Augdal, Team Eksjöhus, is skiing faster than ever. In the challenging conditions of Saturday’s race, one person was in top form. Augdal led at every split and beat silver medalist Klæbo.

“I understood it all the way. Every lap, I understood that I could win. But I also understood that I could break and end up far behind,” says the skier to Langrenn.com.

How did you pace the race? 

“I felt like I started very easily, but apparently, I started very fast. I had a little down period in the middle, then picked it up towards the end. In the last lap, I was sure I would win if I stayed on my feet. But you never know, and that’s what’s cool about the 50-kilometer race. You can cramp, and everything can go wrong in the last kilometer,” Augdal says but reveals that he was dangerously close.

“My thigh started to twitch a bit, and I got nervous because if it twitches in a turn, all hell breaks loose.”

You started two bib numbers ahead of Klæbo. Did you expect him to catch up? 

“Yes. I told Johannes before we started that he had to take it easy when he passed me. But fortunately, he never did.”

How significant is it to beat Klæbo? 

“It means a lot. He’s a role model. Skiing well is always nice, and I’ve proven to myself and everyone else that I can ski fast. It’s been some tough years, and it’s races like today that you need to keep your spirits up and get up early in the morning to train.”

Two medals in two days, and you’ve beaten Klæbo. Are you going back to traditional cross-country skiing now? 

“I probably won’t. I’m too old to compete in the Norwegian and Scandinavian Cups, so I’ll stick to Ski Classics instead. But you should never say never. I’m leaving that door open, and if I ski fast enough, I’ll go where the best are.”

What about the 2025 World Championships? 

“It’s a long road ahead. You must ski incredibly fast before Christmas, but if I ski well in Beitostølen in November and I get to compete in the World Cup, I’ll go for it. But it’s tough to motivate yourself for something where the competition is so fierce. You know that only some outside the national team have a chance.”

What does your Team Eksjöhus coach Marthe Kristoffersen think about a possible return to traditional cross-country skiing? 

“She has more faith in me in traditional cross-country skiing than I do myself, so she keeps that door a bit more open than I do.”

However, there was not so much celebration for Eirik Sverdrup Augdal.

“I have three races left in Ski Classics.”