Racing at the World Cup level and being a part of the Norwegian national team is over for Kristen Skjeldal, he is however not retiring from skiing.
 championships at this distance, said Skjeldal after the race.</p>
<p>Saturday’s race marked the end of Skjeldal’s carriers as an elite level ski racer. A long and exciting carrier is over. Skjeldal is left with mixed feelings. </p>
<p>– I love this sport and it’s sad that it’s over. It’s however parts of elite level racing I have problems with.</p>
<p>Skjeldal feels that the difference between what he is experiencing in World Cup racing and Championships like Worlds and Olympics and what he experienced at the Norwegian Championship describes the dilemmas.</p>
<p>– The Norwegian Championship was a fantastic event. It’s a “pulling together†event done by people who love the sport. Elite sport has so many motives. The commercial side is demanding and often steers the sport. I often look at what has happened to cross country skiing as sad.</p>
<p>Kristen had hoped that cross country skiing could have kept its uniqueness and not aim to be like biathlon or cycling. After the Holmenkollen 50-k (was run as individual start freestyle event) he received a number of comments from people who told him that they thought that this race had been incredibly entertaining. It felt good for Skjeldal to know that an</p>
<p>old-fashioned 50-k still is appreciated among ski enthusiasts.</p>
<p>Skjeldal is not planning on stopping with what he likes the best which is to train and compete. He will continue with this, but at a different level. It was therefore extra exciting to win the 50-k in Vadso.</p>
<p> – It was probably the last 50-k championship I could win, so it was an emotional race.</p>
<p>He will now be staying home to take care of his son while his wife starts working in a new job.</p>
<p>– I have received many different job offers in my home town Voss, but I’ll stay home with Asmund until the fall, and then we’ll see what I will start with.</p>
<p>Young racers in Voss will however get a chance to learn from one of Norway’s most experienced ski racers since the town’s ski gymnasium (ski high school) has hired him as an assistant coach for 1-2 weekly sessions. It’s less important for Skjeldal if youth want to aim for elite racing or not.</p>
<p> – It’s great that they are training and enjoying the sport, and then they’ll find out if elite racing is the way to go or not, says Skjeldal.</p>
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FasterSkierApril 4, 2006
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