The Norwegian national team veteran had barely done a hard session or trained with others since the summer. Last week, he crushed both his competitors — and the course record.

Simen Hegstad Krüger missed the last two national team training camps due to illness. But this week, the 32-year-old made his return, setting a new course record during the team’s traditional test race at Holmenkollen.

Krüger himself wasn’t sure how he compared to the rest of his teammates.

“I was a bit nervous. I haven’t done any hard sessions with other people since June or July,” Krüger told NRK after the performance.

For Krüger, how his body felt was more important than the record or the victory.

“First and foremost, it’s just really nice to be back at camp. I was a little anxious, since I haven’t really tested myself against the others for quite a while.”

Still, he admits it took effort.

“It felt unfamiliar, and a bit tougher than a standard interval session,” he said.

Skeptical teammate: “I actually don’t believe him”

Teammate Harald Østberg Amundsen doubts that Krüger has really missed that much training during his illness break.

“I don’t actually believe him. I think he’s done quite a few solid interval sessions,” said the 2024 World Cup winner.

Chasing Olympic redemption

For Krüger, the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina are the clear main goal — especially since the last Games in Beijing 2022 didn’t go as planned.

The Norwegian skier was one of three athletes who contracted Covid during the team’s pre-Olympic camp in Seiser Alm. Krüger ended up in quarantine and barely made it to China in time for the final part of the Games.

Still, he won bronze in the 30km freestyle (the 50km was shortened due to extreme cold and strong winds). That 30km race — the last event of the 2022 Olympics — was the only one Krüger managed to start.

In addition to the 2022 bronze, Krüger holds two Olympic golds and one silver from PyeongChang 2018.

Tougher than ever to make the team

The competition for a spot on Norway’s Olympic team is even tighter than before. In recent years, Norway has had a quota of eight cross-country skiers per gender — but this time, it’s different.

The Olympics will have 148 spots each for men and women in cross-country skiing. On the women’s side, all spots have been allocated, giving Norway eight places. But for the men, Norway currently has only seven.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has held back ten spots because several smaller nations requested an extended qualification deadline, now set for mid-January. This means Norway won’t know until then whether they’ll receive that final Olympic quota spot.

The 2026 Olympics will be held in Italy from February 6–22. The Norwegian national team selection will largely be decided in the coming weeks — with four World Cup weekends before Christmas and one Tour de Ski stage being decisive.

The national season opener takes place in Beitostølen from November 21–23, followed by the World Cup opener in Ruka, Finland, the following weekend.

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

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