AURE (Dagbladet): Even Northug’s form was tested during Toppidrettsveka. During Friday’s sprint in Aure, he showed his strength, and qualified for the final after outstanding performances in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

In the final, he unfortunately had to see himself beaten by Erik Valnes, Pål Trøan Aune and Wang Qiang, but the 26-year-old remained satisfied:

– It’s a very nice field. “I’m satisfied after a very good training session and good results,” Even Northug told Dagbladet.

– How’s the body?

– Now I’m stiff and stiff. “On the last climb, I was exhausted, so I just had to get my feet across the finish line,” he replied.

Older brother Petter Northug, who competed against his younger brother on the long term, told Dagbladet that he was looking forward to the Even season.

– I think it’s really fun with Even. He’s also joined the national sprint team and I’m really excited for the year to come, said the abdicated ski king.

– How to compete with younger brother?

– It’s okay, but it’s getting harder. I’m used to hitting Even, so it’s not unusual for him to hit me. I have to try to get better conditions to match him.

– Is a few hours behind the form.

Even Northug says that his good form is due to a summer marked by a lot of training.

– I have been training well and my performance is good, but I still have some things to do before starting. The training sessions in the summer made for a good race here.

On Social media can you see a picture of the training session with Peter’s brother. After a training session with Even, Petter was also able to test his performance during Toppidrettsveka.

– That’s really good and he did well this summer. It is important to take it out for some training. It is a few hours behind its form. He has staked well and you can see that in his money, which has grown since he retired.

Good conversation partner

Northug said his older brother acted as a good support player before the season started.

– We talked a lot and he wished me well. Nice to talk to and get advice from someone who has been so kind.

He added that he had a good memory before his older brother made a wild move in Falun.

– I got a lot of good advice and remember a lot when he played outside the national team. Then I joined the trip and had a wonderful journey before Falun. That was fun.

Straight to Sweden

After the long-distance race in Hitra, Petter Northug went to Sweden. There he made a big impression and ended up in 22nd place at Alliansloppet.

The 36-year-old finished 11 seconds slower than winner Calle Halfvarsson.

– 22nd place is also good. Congratulations Calle Halfvarsson, he wrote on Instagram after the race.

Petter Skinstad crossed the finish line right in front of Northug.