Jan Thomas Jenssen always gives his all – even in go-karting. It ended with a crash at 80 km/h.

The accident happened during the Norwegian national team’s training camp in Gran Canaria last week. Jan Thomas Jenssen and several of the other athletes were trying their hand at go-kart racing.

“Ten people with a fierce competitive instinct were let loose, and there wasn’t much safety in place. Risking our lives, we pushed harder with each lap, and eventually I got a serious skid and was thrown into a barrier,” Jenssen told Adressa.

“We read a review before we went and saw that some of the cars were too slow. So, we took the best ones with the most powerful engines. Turns out they were insanely fast, and we were getting tossed around the track.”

Crashed at nearly 80 km/h

According to Jenssen, he was going nearly 80 kilometers per hour, based on data from his GPS watch.

The accident, which happened on the second day of the camp, meant the 29-year-old had to do the rest of his training sessions on a bike.

“Either I’ve cracked a rib, or it’s broken. I’m going to the chiropractor now to get my body taped up. The injury will heal on its own, so I just need to give it some time,” says Jenssen.

Even though the crash will affect him for a while, he doesn’t believe it will impact his preparations for the Olympic season.

Unlucky Norwegian

The camp in Gran Canaria went even worse for national teammate Andreas Fjorden Ree. The young athlete from Støren IL was involved in three accidents in one day: one on roller skis and two on the football field.

Despite the rough time on the holiday island, both athletes report they are still on track with their preparations for the upcoming season, where the 2026 Olympics is the clear highlight.

One of three new members on the team

Jan Thomas Jenssen from Hommelvik IL is one of three new athletes on the men’s Norwegian national team this season. In addition, two young skiers – Andreas Fjorden Ree (24) from the development team and Oskar Opstad Vike (21) from the regional Elon Oslofjord team – have been added to the 2025/2026 squad.

All three participated in the training camp in Gran Canaria from May 24 to 31, together with most of the elite national cross-country skiing team. The camp was organized by Olympiatoppen and gathered athletes from all Olympic disciplines for a joint build-up toward the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Also Read
Norwegian men’s national team for 2025/2026
Norwegian women’s national team set for the 2025/2026 season

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