The national team veteran was informed of his exclusion on Wednesday evening.

The 33-year-old from LYN Ski has been part of the elite national team for his entire adult life, following a season on the junior national team as a final-year junior. After 15 years in the Norwegian colors, Simen Hegstad Krüger is done with the national team. He learned of his exclusion on Wednesday evening and is now open about it. 

“I must say it feels bittersweet and strange not to be part of that group anymore. But at the same time, I believe it could be an exciting year with new opportunities and changes that could benefit me,” he told VG.

Refusing to give up

Krüger is clear that he is not finished as a skier. 

“I still believe I have many good races left in me, and I am motivated to prove that. Especially after the winter I’ve had, where I never really got going, it feels like I have unfinished business. I am very eager for revenge,” says Krüger.

His main goal for the upcoming season is the 2027 World Championships in Falun. He has not yet finalized his plans for the season ahead. He intends to use the coming time to devise a strategy, whether it will be with a private team or his own training program. 

Nightmare season

The exclusion did not come as a total surprise. The national team veteran, who has been a cornerstone for Norway in championships for many years, has barely competed in the World Cup this season. 

Illness in November caused Krüger to miss the season opener in Ruka. After disappointing results in Trondheim in December, he was dropped from the World Cup squad. He made it to the Tour de Ski after winning the Scandinavian Cup in December, but since then, he has not received any further opportunities, and the Olympics were ruled out. 

He qualified for the 50km race in Holmenkollen through a victory in the Norwegian Cup at Skeikampen in March, finishing sixth there. Last weekend, he was on the podium again – at Skarverennet, just tenths of a second from victory.  

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