"On the World Championship, we will fight for gold on every distance"

The ski legend Marit Bjørgen's first season as Norwegian national team coach is a success. At the World Championship in Trondheim, Sweden will have to watch out for the "Bjørgen effect". At the World Championship, we will fight for gold on every distance. A year ago, it would not have been realistic, she says and tells how the transformation has taken place.

» Published: February 24 2025

Norwegian women's cross-country skiing has lost ground to Sweden in recent years. Ahead of this season, Marit Bjørgen was hired as national team coach, along with head coach Sjur Ole Svarstad and Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass.

Bjørgen, with eight Olympic gold medals and 18 World Championship gold medals as an active athlete, was supposed to lift Norway's women.

We're already seeing the results this winter:

Last year, Norway had taken 14 podium places in the World Cup up until mid-February, divided between two skiers.

This year, the team has noted 36 podium places during the same period, divided between seven skiers.

"Creates a sense of calm"

It's not just Therese Johaug who has contributed, but several skiers who have had their breakthrough. One is Julie Myhre, who has taken three podium places in the World Cup.

She now praises Bjørgen:

She has good experiences, primarily on the human level. She creates a sense of calm and security.

When Bjørgen explains the reason behind the successes, she doesn't mention training, but the mental aspect.

I have a strong belief in building self-confidence. Security is important in top sports. It's important that the athlete feels that what they're doing is right. You can't be uncertain, says Bjørgen to TT.

Uncertainty

Didn't the Norwegian women's team have that sense of security before?

Maybe they didn't get the best results. It created uncertainty that spread to the group, answers Bjørgen and continues:

Everyone must take responsibility and create a culture. We should work together to develop. If one person doesn't do it, it creates anxiety in the team.

Training together

She emphasizes the importance of all skiers training together when they're at camps. Then, no individual solutions apply:

I'm very much in favor of us training together as a team. We should learn from each other and see the value of working together. The others should be able to see the individual skier's strength that contributes to the rest of the team. When someone gets on the podium, it spreads to others and creates self-confidence.

The World Championship in Trondheim starts on Wednesday.

Anders Hansson/TT