FROGNERSETEREN (VG) Marit Bjørgen (42) doesn’t think the hype among Norwegian ladies across the country should be negative.
When Therese Johaug was the only Norwegian snowboarder to win Olympic medals in Beijing, Marit Björgen sat down and wrote a book. Along with his former national teammate Guru Ström Sulley (38), Björgen will present a new book this fall. It’s the legacy of the world’s most winning Winter Olympics.
It’s not about copying me, it’s about learning from the things I’ve done, including my mistakes. It’s not about scaring people, it’s about the fun of training and knowledge. This is my way of sharing my experience further, Bjørgen tells VG.
Stream all Olympic training live when you discover +
After the Olympics in Beijing, Therese Juhaug and Maiken Caspersen withdrew. Heidi Wing is now the only national team member with Björgen, but the 42-year-old, eight Olympic gold medalist and 18 World Cup gold medalist, isn’t worried about the future of Norwegian women’s cross-country skiing.
– What did people say about those who will come after the resignation of Scary’s daughter? Then I who went up, I don’t know what people said then. It’s a buzz on the women’s side now, but it could be good for sports. We have to be a little patient. I’m not worried, look at the range we have, Björgen says and adds that she is happy to come and lecture the “new” national team.
Last year, Marit Björgen published an autobiography titled Winner’s Heart written by Ingerid Stenvold.
The Queen’s ceded cross-country VG met Solli at Frognerseteren near Holmenkollen in Oslo on Sunday night. They started a collaboration in 2016 when Solli wanted to write a PhD on Bjørgen’s internship. Sully acknowledges that the academic format of a doctoral dissertation is heavy. Bjorgen says with a laugh that she thinks it’s hard to read about herself that way.
– Now we will make it easy, so that everyone can understand it. This should be a book that people from ages 14 to 100 can benefit from. If you just love training as a practitioner or if you just want to go far. It’s all about making use of the training, Bjorgen says excitedly.
The 42-year-old has used Olympic mentality coach Brett Tajit Voxel for a number of years. The tiger was used as an image of how Björgen sees himself.
– Tiger is explained more accurately than before. Tell how you worked mentally. But it’s also about nutrition and balance, having a strong body and the relationship between coach and athlete. It’s not about people imitating me, it’s about advice and ideas, says Björgen.
She and Sully stress that it’s important to have goals to train for, even when you’re not a top athlete. Therefore, Bjørgen revealed that she will run the New York Marathon on November 6. 42,195 meters on the asphalt.
Now I train maybe five days a week. There will be a lot of running. I said nearly four years ago that I would train hard, but it’s easier to put on sneakers, says Björgen.
Life as a mother of two demands its fair share, but the looming prime number has awakened the competitive animal.
– The goal is three hours. Maybe a little offensive. In order to run in three hours, I have to train a little. We’re a group of girls running around, says Björgen.
– How important is it to beat your girlfriends that day?
– Maybe I should, I’ve been active longer, so I feel a little pressured. Probably someone wants to hit me, says Bjorgen, laughing.
Solli thinks a book on Bjørgen’s coaching has it all, because his career has had it all.
– Marit trained very partly, went into an uproar and came back. Sully, who defended her doctoral thesis in 2020 and is affiliated with NTNU and Nord University, said she had children and went back.
Sully counted the number of times Björgen was on the podium in his senior career that lasted nearly 20 years. The answer is in six out of ten races. In the championship, Bjørgen took gold in 40 percent of the races.
– In the book you can see all, everything that Marit did since she was 14-15 years old until she was younger and older.
– So if people go on a training spree after that, can they blame you?
– We have a chapter called “When You’re Over”, answers Guru Strom Sully.