The World Cup in Trondheim will be a brutal bottleneck: Jan Thomas Jenssen hopes he’s still in the picture when the weekend is over.

“This is the most important World Cup weekend of the year. Now it’s win or go home,” Jan Thomas Jenssen tells Langrenn.com after Thursday’s training session in Trondheim.

The 29-year-old Norwegian from Hommelvik looks out over the stadium.

“There are a lot of Olympic dreams that will be shattered here this weekend. But some will come true as well. I hope I’ll have the tiny margins on my side so that my Olympic dream can be one of them. But it’s tough being Norwegian in Norway,” he says.

Jenssen is one of 44 Norwegian athletes selected for the World Cup round in Trondheim this weekend.

Also Read: Norwegian national team for the Trondheim World Cup

Wants revenge for the World Championships

For Jenssen, who will race both distance events at this weekend’s World Cup, it’s not only an Olympic ticket on the line. In Saturday’s 20-kilometer skiathlon, he’s also out for revenge.

The last time Jenssen raced the same event in Granåsen was at the World Championships last winter, when he finished off the podium by the smallest possible margin. First, he lost the battle for the podium by one tenth of a second. Then he received scathing criticism for his tactics. And afterwards, he also admitted to inappropriate behavior.

Read More: Cross-country World Cup: Complete program for Trondheim

The story continues below.

Not an ideal buildup

Jenssen didn’t get the preparation he’d dreamed of going into his first season on the Norwegian elite national team—and heading toward what he hopes will be his first Olympics.

The injury he picked up when he broke a hand bone (the scaphoid) during Toppidrettsveka in August, the surgery that followed, and rehab meant he couldn’t train as planned through the crucial autumn training period.

But Jenssen isn’t spending energy on what he can’t do anything about.

“I would’ve liked to do things differently in the last months leading up to the season start, but I’ve done what I was able to do, and done it well,” Jenssen says, and continues:

“But I haven’t been able to do anywhere near as much roller skiing as I wanted. I’ve done some without poles and with one pole, but you can’t train anywhere near as well as you can with two poles. Roller skiing is an important part of the buildup, but I haven’t been able to.”

Now Jenssen is eager to see whether, and if so, how that will show up.

Got encouraging answers in Ruka

Last Sunday, he skied to 12th place in the mass start at the World Cup opener in Ruka.

“I’m very happy with the answers I got in Ruka, even if the result wasn’t very good. So, I really believe it’ll be good,” says Jenssen, adding that he has a home-field advantage he believes few can match.

“I train here every day when I’m home. This is the venue where I’ve put in the most training hours, and I’m probably the athlete this weekend who has skied the most hours in Granåsen this year. I can say that with certainty.”

Nervous?

“Kind of. It’s something I work on every day. But it’s important to be nervous and feel a bit of pressure,” says Jenssen.

“I need good grip wax and good skis, but I know I’ll get that. Now it’s just up to me. I feel like my body is getting better and better, so I’m looking forward to racing.”

Jan Thomas Jenssen has been selected for Saturday’s skiathlon and Sunday’s 10km freestyle. Both events are on the program for the 2026 Olympics.

Read More: Program for cross-country skiing at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

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