Interest in cross-country skiing around the world has suffered significantly since the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) decided not to allow Russians into its tournaments. It has not yet been possible to stop the consequences of the problem, and now new difficulties are brewing. One by one, star skiers are withdrawing from the Tour de Ski.
And who will be interested in the once prestigious multi-day race without Klebo, Bolshunov and other ski racing leaders?
“I didn’t have time to recover”
The 2023/24 season is not easy for the titled Norwegian skier Johannes Klebo, even in the absence of the Russians. Shortly before the start of the World Cup, he contracted coronavirus and did not look very convincing in the early stages. After third place in the sprint in Ruka (Finland), Klebo missed the competition in Gällivare (Sweden). In Östersund, the Scandinavian won the classic sprint, but did not even make it into the top six in the distance race.
Only at the home stage in Trondheim did it seem that the old Klebo had returned: Johannes excelled in all three races. On the eve of the start of the Tour de Ski, the Norwegian could easily be considered the main favorite, but this time he will definitely not win. The Norwegian Ski Association reported some unpleasant news for fans. The champion suffered from a cold, and he still has not recovered from its consequences.
“For a long time, Johannes hoped that he would be able to compete in the Tour de Ski, but, unfortunately, he did not have time to recover,” Dagbladet quotes Norway team doctor Uwe Feragen.
Johannes Klebo / Photo: © Federico Modica / NordicFocus / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
It is noted that after the World Cup in Trondheim, Klebo went with his national team partners to a high-altitude training camp in Davos, but preparations had to be interrupted. The skier told fans that he had a fever for six days. It’s easy to guess that in this situation there was no point in even dreaming about going to the Tour de Ski.
“I have no idea what’s wrong with me”
Klebo is not the only strong athlete who will not participate in the prestigious multi-day race, even if we leave out the Russians excommunicated from international competitions. Two-time Olympic champion Simen Kruger, who, like his partner on the Norwegian national team, fell ill at a training camp in Switzerland, will not be at the Tour de Ski.
Three-time Olympic champion Finn Ivo Niskanen seems to have nothing to do with the Norwegians and their gathering, but the fans won’t see the Finn either. The reason is the same – the illness that began after the stage in Trondheim. Frenchman Richard Jouve, who won medals at the World Championships and the Olympic Games, will also undergo treatment instead of racing.
Richard Jouv / Photo: © Maja Hitij / Staf / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
— I had a serious illness. I resumed training, but nothing works for me. I’m very tired, so everything is difficult. I have no idea what’s wrong with me. “I went to the doctor, and it’s not the flu or COVID-19, but I had all the possible symptoms that could be: headaches, stomach pains… It all exhausts me, and it’s very difficult for me to train and recover,” he was quoted as saying skier Le Dauphine Libere.
All these, of course, are not very pleasant signals for the FIS – the federation is already not fattening in the absence of the Russians. And in the near future we will have to somehow fight for the attention of the audience even without Johannes Klebo, as well as other ski racing leaders who were crippled by the flu and unidentified illnesses.
2023-12-28 22:25:00
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