STAVANGER (VG) Reigning world champion Ragne Wiklund (21) does not fear that she will be surprised by nervousness in the Olympics in two months – as she was during the World Cup opening last weekend.
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– Yes, that’s right. It came as a bit of a surprise. I felt very normal during the day, really. Then it was only just when I put on my skates and went out on the field that it came on abruptly. It was a perhaps more stressful race than I had hoped, says Ragne Wiklund before the season’s second World Cup weekend – at home in Stavanger Friday to Sunday.
At the end of February last season, Ragne Wiklund won as the first Norwegian woman gold medal in the distance world championship. At 1500 meters in the “bubble championship” in Heerenveen, she was with 1.54.61 all 42/100 ahead of American Brittany Bowe in 2nd place.
Nine months later – a week ago – she finished in 12th place at the same distance in Polish Tomaszów Mazowiecki, 3.32 seconds behind the victorious Miho Takagi from Japan – and just over 2.5 seconds behind Brittany Bowe in 2nd place. National team coach Edel Therese Høiseth thinks it was not so surprising. Ragne Wiklund points out that she ended up in the same place (11th place) at the same distance in the World Cup start last season – shortly before the World Cup gold.
– It is completely natural. She was to meet those she had beaten, and some she had not beaten (Takagi). There will always be nerves. But Ragne will not go worse because of that, says Edel Therese Høiseth.
The latter in response to questions about what happened now can happen again – in the Olympics.
– No god, I do not hope so. It was not so bad. I was more nervous when I was little and reckon I have put it behind me now. It is at least to plan, says Ragne Wiklund with a view to a replay scenario.
As of today, in front of the World Cup’s 5000-meter in Sørmarka Arena on Friday night, she intends to walk almost all the distances in the Olympics: 3000 meters on February 5, 1500 meters on February 7, 5000 meters on February 10, team pace and maybe 1000 meters as a «bonus» on 17 February.
– I will hopefully get to pick and choose, she says conditionally on whether the qualification requirements are met.
At the same time, Ragne Wiklund emphasizes that she is still in a challenging position.
– If you look at the times and personal records, I am, she says.
When asked if her world title could be characterized as a “one hit wonder”, her answer is a resounding “no”.
Edel Therese Høiseth says that she and the rest of the coaching staff believe Ragne Wiklund has greatest chance at 3000 meters (4th place in Poland), but also thinks 1500 and 5000 meters “can be very good”. It can be easy to forget, as Ragne Wiklund has actually done, that a couple of hours after the gold medal in Heerenveen she went into 6th place and with 6.58.76 set a personal record for the women’s longest distance.
– We had to bring in our “Persians” the other day, and then I could not set my personal record of 5000. So that race has also been forgotten, she says.
– I do not know what I will be best at. I have not trained so much speed this year due to the collarbone fracture. I expect that the speed will come throughout the season. I had a small injury (stretch) last year as well. But it eventually came, adds Ragne Wiklund.
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