The coach on the Tour phenomenon: “He’s a versatile athlete”
Two years ago, ahead of the 2022 Olympic season, the cross-country skiing elite welcomed a fresh addition to the team. Head coach Eirik Myhr Nossum described the young man from Asker as a “potato,” meaning he’s a complete all-rounder. Even then, Harald Østberg Amundsen was earmarked for a key role, both in championships and Tour concepts.
Østberg Amundsen lives up to that label.
Last year, Østberg Amundsen missed out on the Tour de Ski due to a tough bout with Covid that he contracted just before the season premiere at Beitostølen. That wouldn’t happen again.
At the end of last season, he secured a free pass for the entire first period of the World Cup, as the overall winner of the Scandinavian Cup. Østberg Amundsen intended to make the most of it and devised a plan. His ambition was to use the first four World Cup rounds to qualify for the Tour de Ski team.
Also Read: How Harald Østberg Amundsen can beat Klæbo?
Inspired by the concept
His debut in the Tour, where he finished ninth overall last season, left a lasting impression on Østberg Amundsen. With his successes in both classic and sprint disciplines last season, he believes he has a genuine chance to win the Tour de Ski this year.
This goal is significant, not only because it’s a championship-free season.
“In my mind, Tour de Ski is crucial. It’s a concept that I find extremely cool, and I think the program set up this year suits my abilities very well. The first time I competed in Tour de Ski, I finished ninth overall, but that was two years ago, and I’ve developed a lot since then,” says Østberg Amundsen. He continues, “To excel in Tour de Ski, you need to be proficient in everything from sprint to distance and all race formats. I had some good results in sprints in the World Cup last winter, and I’m much better in classic now. That’s crucial if you want to compete with the best, but I believe I might be someone who can do that, and it really motivates me.”
Read More: Tour de Ski 2023/2024: Standings after Stage 3
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Exciting New Year weekend
In the first three stages, Østberg Amundsen has achieved a lot: he opened by making it to the finals in the sprint on Saturday, albeit as a “lucky loser” from both the quarterfinals and the semifinals. However, luck had run out for the day: in the final, he broke his pole and finished in sixth place.
On New Year’s Eve, he had his best 10km classic performance, finishing third in the race, second in the overall standings, securing an excellent position for the pursuit, and regaining the overall lead in the World Cup.
And on the first day of the New Year, he dominated the pursuit. Østberg Amundsen left Erik Valnes behind after 15 kilometers, establishing a lead of over half a minute in the final seven kilometers.
After three out of seven stages and halfway through the Tour de Ski, the 25-year-old from Asker now leads the entire race by over half a minute, with Erik Valnes in second place.
Read More: Perttu Hyvärinen wins the 10km race at Tour de Ski Stage 2
Behind Valnes, there is another thirty seconds to the next group. In that group, there are athletes with a wealth of capacity and various specialties: Østberg Amundsen’s roommate Jan Thomas Jenssen, Swedish athlete William Poromaa, and Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget are the closest challengers. Monster hill king Friedrich Moch, France’s overall hope Hugo Lapalus, and the ever-young Federico Pellegrino from Italy are right on their heels.
In other words, Tour de Ski 2024 is by no means decided until the monster hill is conquered on Sunday, January 7. But Harald Østberg Amundsen has solidified his position as the favorite.
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A key player in the national team
It’s not just in the Tour de Ski that he has made a name for himself. For the head coach of the national distance team, Eirik Myhr Nossum, Østberg Amundsen has become a key athlete in the team during his two seasons there.
“Harald is an incredibly exciting skier. Harald is the only true all-rounder on the team and one of the few all-rounders with some speed in his body. There aren’t many guys on my team who have that. He’s also a skier who can handle a lot of races,” says Nossum to Langrenn.com.
He explains that these qualities make Østberg Amundsen an extremely important athlete for the team.
“Harald is a real versatile athlete. Harald has the skills to become a very good Tour skier, in addition to championships, which means he can fulfill many different needs.”
Both the 2025 World Championships in his home country in just over a year and the 2026 Olympics are already on the minds of both Harald Østberg Amundsen and the head coach of the national distance team, Eirik Myhr Nossum.