After nearly 40 World Cup races in under four months, Harald Østberg Amundsen admits he was starting to feel the strain. On Saturday, he competed in the 50-kilometer race at the Norwegian Championships part 2, and then it was “game over” for this season.

Also Read: Sverdrup Augdal wins the 50km race at the Norwegian Championships

“It’s been a long season. My body is pretty beaten up. It went smoothly until after the Tour de Ski. After that, it’s been up and down. And after Canada, my lungs have been pretty beaten up,” says Amundsen to Langrenn.com.

The 25-year-old from Norway wore the yellow jersey from the World Cup opening in November until the final in March. With one exception: After the last race in the World Cup in Granåsen, the last weekend before Christmas, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo took over the yellow jersey for a few days. A couple of competitions later, it was back on Amundsen’s shoulders. And there it has been ever since.

But it was a battle right to the last meter. Before the last World Cup race, Amundsen led by 112 points over Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. After crossing the finish line, the difference was reduced to 54 points. But then the season was over. Amundsen stands with the big crystal globe and the overall victory in the distance World Cup.

“It feels unreal. I need to let it sink in a bit,” says Amundsen, and openly talks about what has been going on behind the scenes over the past four months.

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How did you manage the mental battle? 

“It’s a lot about putting things into perspective. That I must be a bit strict with myself, not be too satisfied and let myself down, but tell myself that ‘if I push everything for a couple more months, I’ll be even more satisfied.’”

Is it challenging to maintain that focus?

“Sometimes it can be uncomfortable to be strict with yourself and keep your head clear. After winning the Tour de Ski, it was easy to think the season was successful anyway. But I’ve tried not to let myself down and instead think that the next few months will be just as good, and get ready for every single race,” he says and continues:

“Of course, sometimes you’re tired and think it would be nice to skip a race weekend. But when I put it into perspective and think about how fortunate I am to travel around and ski at the top level all winter. This is the life I’ve dreamed of since I was little.”

Kind to his partner 

Many athletes implement extensive measures to stay healthy throughout the season and during important races.

Mattis Stenshagen, who competed for the overall victory in the Scandinavian Cup, has talked about extreme measures to stay healthy. 

The 27-year-old from Follebu lived alone at his cabin for weeks, avoiding friends, family, and people at the store, and was afraid to go to the hairdresser. His partner had to take the bus to ski races, such as the season opener at Beitostølen, while he drove the car, and she had to move out of the apartment if she was sick. All to keep himself healthy and perform well. It has also worked: Stenshagen has been healthy all winter.

Harald Østberg Amundsen is also cautious and does what he can to stay healthy, especially during the season. But he doesn’t ask his girlfriend to leave the house even if she’s a bit sniffly.

What does your lifestyle look like during the season? 

“I take completely normal precautions. I wear a mask when traveling and at hotels. I travel a lot, and knowing why you get sick can be challenging. But getting enough sleep and ensuring you’re on the positive side of the energy balance is essential.”

Does your partner get to stay home? 

“She gets to stay home. She must live her life. And I travel a lot, so when I’m home, we’re together.”

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“Harald has had a great season. He has many podiums and some victories. It’s impressive,” Johannes Høsflot Klæbo tells VG about the overall winner of the World Cup.

At the same time, Klæbo is critical of the points system introduced in the World Cup last year. He believes it favors participation over victories. Amundsen partly agrees but emphasizes that that’s precisely the intention of the system: The one who manages to stay healthy and in shape and achieve podium finishes throughout a whole season wins the World Cup overall.

Klæbo won 16 of the 21 races he competed in the World Cup this year.

Amundsen won three of the 35 World Cup races he competed in. He was also on the podium in seven other World Cup races and among the top 10 in 14 races beyond those where he was on the podium. He won the Tour de Ski overall and the World Cup overall with a 54-point margin over Klæbo.

Do you feel that others believe Klæbo is the best, that you win the World Cup this year because of the points system and not because you are the best skier? 

“There will always be some who come up with such comments. Johannes (Høsflot Klæbo) didn’t compete in the Tour de Ski and missed a lot of World Cup races.”

Does it diminish the joy of the achievement when people point out that Klæbo did not participate in, for example, the Tour de Ski?

 “There will always be someone who makes such comments.”

How worried were you that Klæbo would grab the overall victory at the very end of the season?

 “In the last month, everything has been about defending the overall victory. It’s not nice to have the world’s fastest skier chasing behind you,” says Amundsen, and adds that the overall victory is a bonus: 

There was no specific goal to win the World Cup overall, but it became a goal after the Tour de Ski.”