Johannes Høsflot Klæbo still struggles with pain after the hamstring injury he sustained this summer. Now he fears missing the season opener at Beitostølen. 

It was during a run in July that Klæbo first felt the injury. When he first noticed the problems, a hamstring MRI was taken, and the images from the exam showed that the damage was more significant than first thought. Initially, injuries of this type can take up to three months to fully heal. 

Klæbo, therefore, reduced the load and trained alternatively but still chose to travel to the USA in September to carry out the planned training camp at altitude. Afterward, the 25-year-old reported that he had benefited from his stay in the USA but still feels pain in his hamstring when he has to start, accelerate or go as fast as he can. 

Now the star skier is therefore in doubt as to whether he will make it to the national season opener at Beitostølen.

“It is not certain that he will start at Beitostølen. We will not take any chances, and the World Championships in Planica is, of course, the main goal for the season,” says sprint national team coach Arild Monsen to Adresseavisen. 

The Norwegian national season opening at Beitostølen will be held from November 18 to 20. The following week there will be the World Cup opening in Ruka, Finland, with three scheduled races. 

After the opening weekend in Finland, the World Cup returns to Norway. First, there will be three races at Lillehammer on the first weekend of December, as has been the case for several years. A completely new World Cup round will be organized at Beitostølen on December 9 to 11, with three races: sprint, distance, and relay. 

The 2023 World Championships in Planica will be held from February 21 to March 5. The complete program for the 2023 World Championships was released earlier this week. Here you can find the entire cross-country skiing program for the World Championships.