Well over three-and-a-half years after Covid first began impacting ski races around the world (this article, from March 5, 2020, states that spectators were barred from Holmenkollen but that preparations for North American World Cups later that month were still ongoing, a statement that was true at the time I reported it but that also very quickly proved to age poorly), athletes are still navigating the challenges that it presents.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard representatives explained at this year’s Spring Congress that they were moving toward treating Covid more like other illnesses, and Norwegian team doctors recently said much the same — but even a minor illness is capable of knocking a high-level athlete out of World Cup racing.
All of which is to say, this is the season’s first, and hopefully (but honestly probably not) also the last, look at which athletes will not be pursuing World Cup racing this weekend due to being infected with or recovering from Covid-19.
Much of the Norwegian men’s team
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo contracted Covid shortly before the season began, while at altitude training camp in Livigno. He sat out the pre–World Cup races in Beitostølen that he would typically contest, then raced poorly, by his lofty standards, in Ruka last weekend, presumptively while still recovering. He will be skipping this weekend’s World Cup stop in Gällivare, Sweden, in favor of racing in the Norwegian Cup in Gålå, Norway, about 40 miles northeast of Beitostølen. Klæbo is currently registered for a skate sprint on Friday and a 10km classic on Saturday, according to NRK.
The Norwegian Ski Association announced positive Covid cases for fellow national team skiers Didrik Tønseth, Håvard Solås Taugbøl, and Sjur Røthe on November 10. Tønseth was pulled from his start in Muonio the following day, but was back to the World Cup two weeks later, placing seventh in the 20km skate last weekend. Taugbøl also raced in Ruka, placing 12th in the classic sprint on Friday.
Røthe did not race in Ruka, and has yet to contest a FIS race this season. He will not be starting for Norway in Gällivare. I don’t think it is a medically controversial statement at this point to suggest that there exists a range of individual physiological and psychological responses to Covid infection.
Tiril Udnes Weng
Last year’s World Cup overall winner, Tiril Udnes Weng, was also infected with Covid in Livigno. She has yet to contest a FIS race this winter, and will not be starting in Gällivare. “For Tiril, the Gällivare weekend also comes too soon due to a previously communicated illness,” the Norwegian Ski Association wrote, according to an auto-translation.
Much of the Swedish women’s team
Linn Svahn, Frida Karlsson and Jonna Sundling have all tested positive for Covid, Expressen reported yesterday. Plus also Johanna Hagström, per an update in Expressen today.
Neither Svahn nor Sundling will be starting in Gällivare this weekend. Karlsson was symptom-free as of yesterday and could potentially still race this weekend, according to the first Expressen article linked above.
“Frida Karlsson has been isolated and we continue to follow the development of possible infection symptoms and if it turns out that there will be negative tests during the week, before we make a final decision regarding the start of the competition,” national team doctor Rickard Noberius said in a statement.
Thursday update: Karlsson is now also out for this weekend.
William Poromaa on the Swedish men’s team
William Poromaa skied poorly to start Sunday’s 20km skate, then withdrew from the race before its end. He has had back issues this season, but he also tested positive for Covid later that day.
“It feels like someone is sitting with a voodoo doll and pushing lots of needles at me,” Poromaa said in the article linked above, according to an auto-translation. “It’s getting a little bad here and there right now.”
Finnish skier Johanna Matintalo
Johanna Matintalo of Finland, who had one World Cup podium last season and multiple top-ten finishes, was slated to start Friday’s classic sprint in Ruka, but was a last-minute DNS. She shared the above post two days later.
— Gavin Kentch
Financial real talk: I worked my butt off for the first year of this website, and took home a net profit of all of $1,500. Inspiring stuff I know. And that was only thanks to the $3,000 that I took in from readers through my GoFundMe. On the one hand, I’m not going very hard on soliciting donations right now, because this is fundraising week for the NNF’s Drive for 25, deservedly so. On the other hand, the money from the GoFundMe is the only reason that I had a profit instead of a loss for the first year of Nordic Insights, and is in turn why there is a second year of Nordic Insights that you are currently reading — I was on board with doing this for very little money out of a love for American nordic skiing, but didn’t want to lose money for the privilege of doing this.
So. If you would like to support the second year of Nordic Insights, last year’s GoFundMe is still up here. I will update this with a new fundraiser soon/once Drive for 25 ends; for the time being, just mentally substitute in “World Cup” for “Houghton” (basically the same venue tbh). All the money still goes to the same place. Thank you for your support, and thank you, as always, for reading.
I’m sure they are all thankful that they took an experimental drug to protect them from a disease which never posed any threat to a single young skier anywhere.