Norway’s long-running Idol Petter Northug ended his career. This decision of the record world champion and double Olympic champion of Vancouver on Wednesday announced during a press conference at the Lerkendal stadium in Trondheim. “When I was a Kid, I had the dream to be a good skier. I’m proud of how I managed to do that,” said the 32-Year-old in tears: “When the long-run as long as your life, it is quit difficult, but at the same time it feels good, too.” Northug had already declared, in the face of persistent health problems, he was “in historically bad shape”.
in order for Norway to lose within a period of eight months, the second outstanding figure of his younger long-run history. In April, a record-Olympic champion Marit Björgen ended her career. In contrast to the more introverted “Queen Marit” was Northug is probably the biggest Showman of the cross-country scene. Northug had been celebrating after a successful Junior career, numerous great victories, including the Olympic race in 2010, about 50 km and in the team sprint. Moreover, he repeated in Vancouver with one silver and Bronze. Northug collected across all distances, from 2007 to 2015, a total of 13 world titles, he twice won the overall world Cup (2010/2013).
In recent years, Northug was, however, permanently in the form of deep, the last of which he was in March 2016 in the world Cup on the podium. In the world Championships 2017 in Lahti, he remained without a medal, for the Olympics of 2018, qualified Northug not once, he missed for the second Time in a row, the dip in Norway’s world Cup team. The athletes Northug was one with corners and edges, which put him quite major Trouble. In 2014, he was sentenced to an alcohol journey to a prison sentence of 50 days –and won half a year later, four world titles, of all places, Falun, when arch-rivals Sweden, with whom he has a passionate favorite Association of hostility.
in 2012, he ran at the world Cup in the Swedish Gälivare as the winner with a Sverige-Flag over the finish line. A year earlier, he had slowed down as the season-closing runners at the world Championships in Oslo in front of the goal line on his Swedish pursuers Marcus Hellner maintained, and was then increased and a broad grin, as the world champion on the red Band at the bottom.
