Drammen Sprint Comments from Norway’s Marit Bjorgen and Ella Gjomle

FasterSkier · March 10, 2005

Source: Langrenn.com

Marit Bjorgen hasn’t won a sprint race in her last four attempts yet she still feels she hasn’t lost her edge.

-There are a lot of people who have been close before in classic sprints. I do not feel that I have lost my touch. It was just too bad that I couldn’t show my full potential today. I was happy with the prologue and my body felt good even though I’ve been sick, says Bjorgen.

In the Drammen sprint semifinal the three time world champion had about as much bad luck as was possible. Her binding released on her left ski and with just one ski even the world’s best skier is without a hope.

-It was good to be back on skis again and it felt great. It was just too bad that my binding opened up. I felt like I had a lot to give. I would have had to have skied hard to have made it to the finals but it was sad that I didn’t even get a chance. Its hard to say if I could have taken them since I didn’t even make it to the finish says the Norwegian.

Norway’s Ella Gjomle has, like many of her teammates, been struggling with sickness since the World Champions in Oberstdorf and in Drammen she hit the wall.

Gjomle was beat in the semi-final and was then unable to keep up with Marit Bjorgen, Guro Strom Solli and Beckie Scott in the B-final.

-It was confirmed, I had a fever for three or four days and I was on the sofa for a week. Yesterday was the first day I was on skis again so today I eventually just went empty, says Gjomle.

Yet she thought it was amazing to spring in the streets of Drammen.

-It is great to ski here with so many people and such an atmosphere. I would have loved to have been in better shape though. I think sprint racing on city streets can be part of the racing’s future. There will always be a serious racing mood and interest then, says the Norwegian.