He missed out on medals. Twice. Yet he impressed more than ever – in a way the experts can hardly explain.

He had to turn 33 before earning his first World Championship medals, and he did it on home soil in Trondheim. But it’s not the medals that impress the experts the most about Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget.

During the World Championships in Trondheim, the Lillehammer skier did his best to hide his disappointment at “only” winning a silver and a relay gold at the championships.

Nyenget fell out of medals that were almost guaranteed not once, but twice within five days – first in the 10km classic and then in the 50km – ending up with a fifth and a fourth place respectively.

“I really feel for him, considering he crashed in both the 10km classic and the 50km at Worlds. He missed out on two medals at a home World Championship,” said Hans Christer Holund in the podcast Hans & Holund.

The former World Champion continued:

“He didn’t have any World Championship medals before this winter. I can only imagine how tough it must have been driving home from the championships. It was a good Worlds – he took a medal in the skiathlon and the relay – but it could have been so much better.”

Almost Inhuman

“It’s easy to talk about results, but what impresses me the most about Martin is how he puts disappointments behind him. How he manages to perform after hitting a low – it’s almost inhuman. It’s absolutely extreme,” Holund said.

He highlighted the 50km at Holmenkollen in 2022, where Nyenget took his first World Cup victory just days after his father passed away. This year, he bounced back from the misfortune in Trondheim by winning the 20km classic by nearly a minute, just a week after the World Championships.

The Holmenkollen win was Nyenget’s third World Cup victory of the season and the fifth of his career.

In addition to his three victories, Nyenget earned five more podiums in the World Cup, Norwegian Championship gold in both the 10km freestyle and the classic 50km at Hovden in late March, and podium finishes in both races at the season opener in Beitostølen.

The “Dad Effect”

Nyenget himself believes the “dad effect” is a key part of his success. He became a father for the first time in April 2024.

“The dad effect is pretty real. I really enjoy being a dad,” Nyenget told Langrenn.com after his first World Cup win of the season.

That’s something Holund can relate to – he had one of his best seasons in the winter of 2020/21 after becoming a father himself.

Used Up His Bad Luck?

Holund was on the national team with Nyenget for several years until retiring after the 2023 World Championship season.

“Martin is one of the skiers I hold in the highest regard. I hope he has a similar season next year, and maybe things will finally go his way at the Olympics.”

If that happens, Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget could earn his first Olympic medal at nearly 34 years old. Still a far cry from Maurilio De Zolt, who helped Italy win Olympic gold in Lillehammer in 1994 at the age of 43 and a half.

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