–
Petter Northug has served his sentence for speeding and drug possession.
In the meantime, he has gotten to know himself in depth.
– It has been scary and unusual, he says in his own Youtube channel.
The Norwegian cross-country skier Petter Northug, 35, was arrested for speeding and drug possession and was sentenced in December last year to seven months in prison.
Now, in July, he has served his sentence and attended programs in treatment homes to deal with the problems that led to addiction and what he himself describes as “bad choices”.
– I have grown as a person, as a person. I will take that with me for the rest of my life, he says in his Youtubekanal.
Unusual to open up to others
The days have consisted of group therapy, household chores, regular routines and meetings. In conversations with others, he has had to share parts of himself that he has not previously explored, he says.
– It has been about being open and honest, he says and continues:
– It has not hurt to open up, but it has been scary and unusual.
“Lived with tunnel vision”
Some of the insights he gained are that he constantly sought extremes, both in sports but also outside.
– I have lived a life with tunnel vision, where everything was about myself, to perform and to be as good as possible.
Seeing himself as a human being and not an elite athlete has been a key to his current well-being and improvement, he says.
– That transition is more difficult than many people think and it was difficult for me.
Northug has been in windy weather before. In 2014, he was sentenced to a fine, imprisonment and revoked his driver’s license for five years for driving while intoxicated and crashing.
The Norwegian superstar ended his career as a cross-country skier in 2018. His track record is long and includes, among other things, Olympic gold, World Cup gold and countless World Cup victories.
–
—
