The Olympics did not go as planned for Harald Østberg Amundsen. Never in top form during the championship, he returned home sick and without a medal. Yet he has no regrets.

Harald Østberg Amundsen does not hide the fact that his first Olympic experience was disappointing. A fourth place, a sixth place, and a 14th place were not what he had dreamed of.

“Unfortunately, the Olympics did not go as I wished, and it was a major setback for me,” says the 27-year-old from Norway, getting straight to the point.

“Mentally, it has been one of the toughest periods of my career so far. It took time to accept that my body was not as it should be and to realize that the Olympics came a bit too soon after my illness. Plus, it’s only the Olympics every four years, which made it a bit harder to digest,” he says to Langrenn.com.

Do you regret anything you did leading up to the Olympics? 

“It’s hard to say in hindsight whether anything I did leading up to the Olympics was wrong, because illness can strike no matter how careful you are. I followed a training plan after the Tour de Ski with volume training in Sjusjøen before a competition week with World Cup races in Goms. These were races I had included in my plan for optimal preparation for the Olympics, before we were to head to a pre-camp in Italy,” Amundsen says, continuing.

“The downside of tough competitions and traveling during a preparation period is that you wear down your body and can more easily fall ill.“

And that’s exactly what happened.

Amundsen struggled with fever and respiratory issues, arriving at the Olympics lacking energy and with hardly any hard workouts in his system. This increasingly affected him throughout the championship.

“I felt good in the first race, but then I fell short of being able to compete for a medal.”

The subsequent races became extremely challenging.

“The problem was that my body did not recover as desired after the tough races at the Olympics.”

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No regrets

Still, Amundsen stands by the choices he made leading up to the event.

“I wouldn’t change my training plan in hindsight since I did what I believed in most leading up to the Olympics. The problem was not the plan, but that the illness I picked up in Goms, which eventually sidelined me, was worse than just a mild cold. There was simply too short a time from illness to the start of the Olympics.”

Had to reset

The disappointment at the Olympics affected Amundsen, who had to work on himself to reset.

“I dug myself a bit into a hole during and right after the Olympics, but fortunately, there are always new ski races and new goals,” he says, continuing.

“I became very motivated to finish the season as well as possible. My World Cup season was very good overall, and I have many great experiences this season, even though the Olympics were not one of them.”

Now, the main goal for the upcoming season is the 2027 World Championships in Falun.

“It helped a lot to have good races in Falun, Drammen, Holmenkollen, and Lake Placid in March. That has given me great motivation for next season. Now I feel that I have digested the setback and hope to bounce back in the next championship.”

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Giving back to young talents

Giving back is something that means a lot to the increasingly experienced 27-year-old.

He has shared his sponsors with the rest of the national team and is eager to share his expertise and resources.

When Amundsen won the Tour de Ski and the overall World Cup in 2024, he used part of the prize money to establish a fund that will award annual scholarships to athletes aged 19 to 23. The initiative is called the HØAnton Scholarship.

You are always generous to others, sharing your own resources, funds, and experiences. How important is this aspect for you, and why? 

“I am very focused on sharing my experiences with those who come after me, and the HØAnton Scholarship is an important contribution to help young and promising skiers on their path to success.”

Amundsen explains that being able to give something back means a lot to him.

“I have been new to the World Cup and championships before as well, and I know how important it can be for more experienced athletes to share their tips and tricks with those coming up. There is a lot of nerves and excitement in elite sports that is important to handle well,” he says.

“Elite sports at the highest level with great experiences is, after all, one of the coolest things you can do. That’s why I want to inspire.”

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