He was furious after being dropped from the national team last spring. From one day to the next, he lost everything except his motivation. Now, Endre Strømsheim is putting everything he has into making a comeback.

The 29-year-old from Bærum won two World Championship gold medals in three days last year, yet was still dropped from the national team this spring. After a disappointing season where he called it quits in January, he didn’t even receive an offer for a spot on the development team. Now, Endre Strømsheim believes he has figured out what went wrong, turned over every stone, and laid out a completely new plan.  

Also Read: Dropped from the national team and without support – Strømsheim makes a comeback

Dropped and without a team

After being dropped from the national team, Strømsheim found himself starting from scratch. With the loss of his national team spot came both financial support and access to the federation’s resources. 

However, Strømsheim never considered giving up. Instead, he put together his own training program. Now, he makes all the decisions himself. But he is honest about the costs, especially financially, with much coming from his own savings.  

“I haven’t calculated how much it is in total. But you can see that the account is being emptied slowly but surely. And if it doesn’t go fast this winter, then nothing comes in,” he tells TV 2.

Vebjørn Sørum, who was also dropped in April, has suggested that a season of private training outside the national team costs half a million kroner (about 46,000 Euros).

Laid out the comeback plan in January

In an interview with Langrenn.com, Strømsheim revealed that the comeback plan was conceived just a few days after he ended his season in January. 

“I stayed in the Czech Republic for a few days after that World Cup round. I spent the first 48 hours after the race evaluating my performance and decided that this season was not worth pursuing any further. Then I started thinking about what would be smart to do moving forward and how to turn the setback into something positive,” Strømsheim told Langrenn.com.

“I can’t have more seasons like that.”

The story continues below.

From extreme to thoughtful

Strømsheim is known for being one of the most extreme trainers among biathletes. The first part of his comeback plan was indeed an extreme expedition. 

The trip followed in the footsteps of Birger Strømsheim and the Gunnerside boys along the route they took to Sweden after blowing up the heavy water plant in Vemork 83 years ago in February 1943.

But after the heavy water stunt in February, Strømsheim changed his training approach. 

In recent seasons, Strømsheim has been inspired by speed skater Nils van der Poel’s training philosophy, which involves enormous training volumes spread over five extremely hard days followed by two rest days. 

Has taken action

In hindsight, Strømsheim realizes that he has stretched himself too thin in recent seasons and hasn’t focused enough on ensuring his body can handle and absorb the training. There was too much strain, too many illness breaks, and overall poor training.

“Had I known what I know now, I would have done things differently last year. But at the same time, based on how things have gone over the past three years, it was natural to believe that it would work. But it is a big risk,” he said in the podcast “Extrarunde”.

Now, Strømsheim has taken an important step.

“The volume will still be high. But I will always make sure that I am ready for the next session before I do it. That is the biggest difference. I can’t use a “credit card” for training; I have to pay cash. If I’m not ready, I skip the session,” he says. 

Highly motivated

Despite the exclusion, he is not lacking in motivation. He has a lot to prove, primarily to himself.

“I want to be a good biathlete again. That’s why I chose this life. But the last year, I haven’t been a good biathlete, so I’m really motivated to get back there,” he says, continuing. 

“But I’m also a bit triggered by doing it alone and seeking help from people I trust. It’s not the project I wanted, but I’m still friends with the other athletes on the team, and we train a lot even though I’m not part of the national team right now.”

Read More: Norwegian biathlon teams for season 2026/2027

Must win the season opener

During the Norwegian Championships in roller skiing at Lygna last weekend, Strømsheim secured two fourth-place finishes against the entire national team elite. Now, the national season opener in Geilo is next. It takes place in mid-November, and he aims to win it. 

“If I win the national season opener, I will get to compete in the World Cup.” 

Endre Strømsheim has a guaranteed spot at the World Championships as the defending champion in the mass start. The championship will be held in Otepää, Estonia, from February 7 to 21, 2027. 

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