Gull-Holund thinks his competitors were afraid of Northug

– Right after, I was incredibly happy and touched. When you are tired, you are easily touched. I lacked power. It was an extreme pleasure and I was really touched by what I had. Now I have the feeling in me of having the gold of the World Cup, Holund told VG.

Here, you see Holund describe the gold right after the finish:

The 30-year-old junior world champion made a long journey before winning the title of world champion in Austria on March 3 this year. He was the great talent who followed a training period. From 2010 to 2013, he was the victim of overtraining.

But Holund does not think he has become world champion without Swede Johan Olsson and the World Cup five in 2013.

Northug had control of the field

Olsson and Dario Cologna left Petter Northug and the rest of the field. Cologna fell. Olsson walked alone for three miles. Holund also in Seefeld.

– I thought that before Olsson did it, it had been read and decided that it was not possible to leave, Holund continues.

– It was a long time when Petter ravaged, no one has ever tried.

He thinks that the Olsson race in 2013 marked the beginning of time after Northug. It showed that it was the way to become a world champion. Northug was number 21, exactly two minutes behind the Swede. Holund thinks it is strange that no one has tried it before.

– Petter was good. He controlled the ground. He was the leader on the ground. He had an extreme mental takeover, says Holund.

Holund paid tribute to the Mosvik ski king, but thinks that someone should have broken the Northug code earlier.

– Petter is a legend. It should have a lot of merit for cross-country skiing as big as it has become, and it should have a lot for cross-country skiing which is what it is today. It's sad to lose such a big profile, but he did his thing. He could bear his good conscience, said Holund.

Not exactly as expected

But then it was Olsson's five-mile message that gave Holund hope. For 30 years, no one stops smoking. The modern cross country with a common start is not really for him.

– There was a difference in 2013. Five miles later, things got complicated. Niskanen went alone to the Olympics last year and won, said Holund.

As mentioned, five miles to Seefeld, Holund left after two miles. Like Olsson, he walked alone for 30 kilometers.

– I was an outsider. I knew I was in good shape. The plan was to leave, but not to leave after two miles. The plan was after three and a half miles, says Holund.

He is brown in the summer and relaxed. He was in a cabin in Tvedestrand. And he spent a week in Børgefjell with the fishing rod.

– I hoped that everything would be fine on five miles. Of course not. The first two miles were very calm. I realized that it seemed like a scam, said the world champion.

Drama in the head

It tells the race after the ski change to 20 kilometers:

– I went to get a hatch. Vidar (Løfshus) said he had ten seconds left for the field. What should I do I try impossible and go there? When I had the opportunity, I just had to try. I knew I had so many weeds that the others almost gave up.

And there should be some drama in the mind of the 30-year-old.

– After 35 kilometers, I was pretty sure it was okay. I thought, Damn, I'm leading the World Cup with a minute. If you do not have a plan, you can panic. I thought 'push, push', that's almost what you say aloud. It worked very well for a long time. But at 38 kilometers, I felt very bad. I was pretty muscular in the muscles. And Aleksandr Bolshunov intervened. So I thought: this is not possible.

Then he started thinking about all the work left. All hours of training. The parents who had trained him.

– Six kilometers from the finish, the head was put back in place. I thought that Bolshunov would soon be tired too. I climbed the controlled slopes, on each surface I walked as in a sprint settlement. Even though it did not look like that, I did it all. But you are so tired that you can not remember the last one. But there was a lot of noise. Many Norwegians. I heard the seconds as in a bubble, said Holund smiling.

Have invaded Hetland

It is not he who shouts loudly. He does not laugh so loud either. But he laughs well. Pull your head back a little. He has the same boyfriend since the age of 17. He met Anne Marie Dalen in high school. They now live in Nittedal's hometown.

He also forgave former coach of the Tor-Arne Hetland National Team the wreck of the Olympic relay last year. Then he was in the form of a monster and won the bronze medal in the 15 km.

– I used it as motivation. I am not bitter. We disagreed for a few weeks, but we got stuck. Overall, I am happy to have won the Olympic medal and the World Cup gold medal.

He thinks that he must be a father to feel the joy felt in his body when he first crossed the finish line in Seefeld. Until now, he is happy to be an uncle of two.

– Even though I became world champion, I will not dominate the coming season, with as much awareness of myself as I have. But I think I can get better. I can not work that much anymore, but I can sleep an extra half hour at night. I can do more with the diet. There are so small choices that can take a few more seconds for the winter, says Holund.

And he learned the most important thing of all. It can go beyond the mold. It has never been as fit as the Olympics last year and the World Cup this year.

– It's there that Petter was raw. It could overtake the mold. Only nerds remember a winner of the World Cup. These are championship titles that we remember, says Holund.

He did not go to the Maldives. It was enough reward to win gold in the World Cup.