Last Saturday, Petter Northug’s mother, May, unveiled the statue of her son in their hometown of Framverran. It was an emotional moment.

Petter Northug arrived at his own unveiling ceremony in Framverran by helicopter, where over 2000 people had gathered to see the skiing legend and the statue of the town’s great son on Saturday afternoon.

The identity of who would unveil the statue was not known until the ceremony. That task was given to Petter’s mother, May Fredly Northug.

“There are many emotions. It came when I saw so many people who had shown up, and as the speeches began. That’s when I felt it,” Northug told TV2, continuing:

“And then it was special that it ends up here, in my hometown. There are a lot of emotions around that. A lot of hard work was left here, and it was here that dreams were created. It feels good to be back here.”

The 38-year-old found the monument to be beautiful.

“I think it’s great. It’s a pose I recognize,” Northug said about the statue.

Private Initiative

The fact that the statue became a reality at all is thanks to TV2 personality Ernst Lersveen. Lersveen has been intensely involved with the project since retiring from the channel after the Planica Ski World Championships in March 2023.

Lersveen believes it’s entirely appropriate to erect monuments to personalities who are still active.

“He (Petter Northug) created an artificially large interest in cross-country skiing and will be remembered as the most important person for the sport ever. A statue stands for eternity, and it’s old-fashioned to only erect them after people have passed away. Those who receive a statue should get to experience it,” said the enthusiast.

The Petter Northug statue was unveiled on Saturday, July 13th. The 38-year-old is very satisfied with the sculpture, which cost around one million Norwegian kroner. The statue was created by artist Tore Bjørn Skjølsvik, who has also crafted statues of Nils Arne Eggen and Oddvar Brå.

Towards a World Championships comeback?

The former skiing king made a comeback at the elite level two years ago, focusing mainly on long-distance races and Ski Classics. His podium finish at the Blink Classics long-distance race last summer was one of Northug’s first achievements after his return.

Also Read: Double win for Team Aker Dæhlie at Blink Classics 2023

But last winter, Northug delivered a series of strong performances in traditional distance skiing against much of the World Cup elite, including a silver medal in the Norwegian Championships sprint relay that smelled of his old heights.

Now, the 38-year-old admits that the World Championships in his hometown of Trondheim are increasingly tempting. Just over a week ago, it was announced that Northug would compete in both long-distance races and traditional events during the Blink Festival in the July/August transition.

The competitions against the World Cup elite at the start of August will provide Northug an opportunity to gauge his level in a field worthy of a World Cup.

An impressive career

Petter Northug won four Olympic medals, including two gold (both from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics), and 13 World Championship gold medals before retiring in December 2018. In total, he participated in six World Championships and two Olympics.

The Trønder competed in his first World Championships in 2007 in Sapporo, where as a 21-year-old, he contributed to Norway’s gold in the relay. At the Liberec World Championships, he won three gold medals.

However, it was during the 2011 World Championships in Holmenkollen that he truly ascended to the throne as the skiing king. There, Northug medaled in all five events he participated in, including three golds and two silvers: Gold in the 30km skiathlon, gold in the relay, gold in the 50km, and silver in the sprint (freestyle) and team sprint (freestyle) with Ola Vigen Hattestad.

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