Ole Morten Iversen thinks Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (29) must think of something different this winter.
HOLMENKOLLEN (Nettavisen): The Norwegian cross-country profile has been suffering from fatigue since the end of last season.
Currently, she is uncertain how the injury cancellation will affect the coming season.
– It is clear that the training has been different for a few months compared to what I usually do.
– If it turns out badly, in a way I don’t want, then I have to take it. I haven’t really had any seasons where I haven’t had good results. If so, it will be a new experience. How I want to cope is difficult to say, says Østberg to Nettavisen.
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GOOD HUMOR: Ingvild Flugstad Østberg glad to be at a gathering in Holmenkollen.
Photo: Simen Lønning (Nettavisen)
– Biggest challenge
However, Iversen national coach is confident that the 29-year-old will be able to ski fast next season. He boasts of the job Østberg has done in recent months.
– I am 100 percent sure that Ingvild can go faster this winter than she has ever done before if she continues to do things right in the future, Iversen told Nettavisen.
He points out that Østberg has trained well over several years and that she has also trained well this spring, despite the limitations the injury has caused.
However, Iversen predicts that the Norwegian cross-country profile may not necessarily expect to be in a huge battle through much of the winter as a result of the slightly thinner foundation she now receives as a result of the injury.
– The challenge is that she may not wait to go fast from December 1 to April 1. She may have to realize that she must limit it to one period in which she is in good shape, that the World Cup is more focused, that she is thinking more form-taking. I think that will be the biggest challenge, to make her believe it, Iversen explains.
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OPTIMIST: Ole Morten Iversen has great faith in Ingvild Flugstad Østberg for the winter.
Photo: Simen Lønning (Nettavisen)
He says that it is now his job to convince her to follow such a plan against the World Cup in Oberstdorf.
– If she does, then I am 100 percent sure that she goes at least as fast on the most important ski runs this winter. There is nothing to indicate that she has lost anything, other than that the foundation over the past few months is a little messy. But it is more than good enough to go fast enough for the winter, says the national coach.
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Østberg positive
Østberg and Iversen have had their disagreements about training in the past, but this time the 29-year-old doesn’t seem so hard to convince.
She herself is also aware that full focus on a top form towards the World Cup will be the way to go.
– If there is a season and a World Cup, then it is clear that it is in the World Cup that I want to follow me very well. So I have some time ahead, says Østberg.
She is clear that she has been through a difficult period there, but at the same time she is aware that efforts will not be made.
– I’m trying my best, but it’s challenging. It is difficult to do things that are 100 percent correct at all times. You try everything you can, but it’s not always good enough. Sometimes you really have to fight, says the 29-year-old.
National coach Iversen is confident that the hard work will produce results for Østberg.
– She is a fantastic skier with a potential that I actually do not think has been taken out yet, says Iversen.
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