Last year, Jørgen Nordhagen quit cross-country skiing after becoming a junior world champion. He became a professional cyclist instead. After this season, Hanna Sørbye ended her cross-country skiing career after winning her first junior world championship gold. Now, yet another Norwegian junior world champion is choosing to leave cross-country skiing in favor of another sport.

This time, it’s the rising Norwegian star Malin Hoelsveen who has made her decision – a choice many have long anticipated.

The Raufoss athlete has chosen track and field, with a focus on middle-distance running. This despite winning the junior world championship sprint title in Schilpario, Italy, this past winter.

The 20-year-old confirms her decision to the newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad:

“That will be my main priority,” she tells the paper.

She doesn’t rule out participating in a few ski races here and there, but athletics is what she’ll now pursue seriously. A decision that’s been a topic of speculation for years, Malin Hoelsveen has excelled in both summer and winter sports.

Also Read: World Champion steps away from cross-country skiing at 20

Can’t keep improving in both sports

“I noticed at the start of the track season that I was behind my competitors. That gap only gets bigger as you get older, especially if you plan to switch to running later,” continues the Raufoss runner, who, according to oa.no, wasn’t influenced by others in making her choice.

Continuing to pursue both sports would have required even stricter prioritization, and Hoelsveen believes it would have come at the expense of skiing. Plus, it’s simply no longer equally fun in both disciplines.

“I can’t keep getting better in both anymore. It’ll be exciting to go all in and see if that gives me an extra boost.”

She admits it wasn’t an easy choice and that she would have loved to continue in both. But she believes it’s the right decision.

The story continues below.

Norwegian champion in the 800 meters

“It’s easier to go back to skiing in a few years if I regret this. So, in that sense, maybe it’s a safe choice,” she says.

A junior world title in cross-country skiing is a major achievement, but Malin Hoelsveen is also the reigning Norwegian champion in the 800 meters. She also won the U18 European Championships in 2022. Now she’s preparing to compete in the U23 European Championships in Bergen, where she’ll have plenty of opportunities in athletics.

She reports that training has gone well in recent weeks and that she has remained injury-free. However, this year it took a bit more time to transition from skiing to track and field.

At the U23 European Championships in Bergen from July 17 to 20, her goal is to qualify for the final and set a new personal best. To do so, Hoelsveen – who is two years younger than many of her competitors – needs to beat the 2:01.15 she ran last year.

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