Marit Bjørgen admits that she was annoyed by Tomas Pettersson’s statements during the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018. The Expressen commentator himself says that he received a number of hate messages from the Norwegian people.
In the newly published book «Winner Heart: The story of Marit Bjørgen», written by NRK journalist Ingerid Stenvold, Bjørgen discusses the Norwegian-Swedish duel at the ski arena during the Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.
There, Expressen’s sports commentator Tomas Pettersson fired up the feud between Norway and Sweden.
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– Marit’s time is over
In the opening distance in the championship, 15 kilometers ski change, Charlotte Kalla had won gold in 15 kilometers with ski change in front of Bjørgen. Then Pettersson wrote:
“It was beautiful as long as it lasted, Marit Bjørgen. But now your time is over. The ski world has got a new queen. “
And when it was time for the relay, Petterson struck again, when he thanked the Norwegian national team coach Roar Hjelmeseth for putting Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen up against a Kalla in super form on the second stage.
‘But one thing I do know. If everything ends with Stina Nilsson and Marit Bjørgen entering the stadium together, then we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Then the next gold party awaits “, wrote a confident Petterson.
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In the biography, Bjørgen admits that she was annoyed by these statements, but that they made her extra excited.
Also read: Bjørgen was furious when she saw what was in the newspaper: – Only gossip and speculation
– 37-year-old out of the ordinary
During the relay, it turned out that Petterson was right that Uhrenholdt Jacobsen would have a tough time in the second stage. The lead of 25 seconds down to Sweden after the first stage turned to 30 seconds in favor of Sweden when Ragnhild Haga went out on the third.
However, Haga, who had recently won the gold in the 10-kilometer, went a brilliant stage and regained the lead before the fourth and decisive stage.
There, Bjørgen never managed to shake off the sprint winner Nilsson, and thus Pettersson and the Swedes got the finish they had hoped for.
“Deep down, Marit herself had thought it was not very favorable. But her plan had worked “, writes Stenvold.
Bjørgen drove Nilsson so hard on the last stage that she did not have the strength to question the Norwegian ski queen. Thus, Bjørgen could go in for Norwegian relay gold.
“Petterson forgot that Marit Bjørgen was a 37-year-old a little out of the ordinary. How he could forget that is another matter “, writes Stenvold.
Pettersson: – That day I will never forget
When Nettavisen contacts Pettersson on Wednesday morning this week, he has not received the mention in the book.
However, the Expressen commentator remembers very well the criticism he directed at Bjørgen in connection with that championship, and says that he still has a memory on the phone from the day Norway won the relay.
– Oi, that day I will never forget. I took a screenshot that I still have on my phone after the finish line of the relay. In exactly four minutes, I had received 121 messages. All from Norway. All with thorough explanations of what an idiot I was. And the furious messages continued to flow in during the rest of the Olympics, says Pettersson to Nettavisen.
Also read: The accusations from Kowalczyk shocked Bjørgen: – It felt so unfair!
However, he understands that he made a big mistake and that it is only to praise Bjørgen’s achievements in the relay – and for what she delivered otherwise in her career.
– But it’s like this: If you stick out your chin and make a complete mistake, then you must be prepared for a blow to the face. And after that, it was right that I should get it. But I can also say it like this: It is never fun to be wrong in your tips, but to be wrong thanks to an almost unrealistically impressive sports performance is easier to live with, says Pettersson.
– And that was exactly what Marit showed us that day – and at three thousand a few days later. A completely magical skier. Perhaps even the most powerful ski world has seen, he says.
– What is it like to be mentioned in a book by the best cross-country skiers of all time?
– I have nothing against that. On the contrary. I just see it as an honor to be a small, small part in the story of the world’s best distance runner, says Pettersson.
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