31-Year Old Made Norwegian Team

The Norwegian ski federation wanted to show Ski-Norway that it’s possible to make the national team even when you have passed thirty. Geir Ludvig Aasen (31) is a proof of that.

Source: Langrenn.com

The Norwegian skifederation (NSF) is showing that they want young skiers on their national teams by selecting Petter Northug (20) and Tord Asle Gjerdalen (22) as new national team members for the upcoming season. They also added a new development team for women. NSF also showed however that you shouldn’t give up just because you are getting close to thirty or older by adding Ann Eli Tafjord (29) and Geir Ludvig Aasen (31) to the upcoming season’s national teams.

Ski-Norway deserves this said new national team chief of sport, Age Skinstad.

Not selecting Aasen would have been a slap in the face to everyone that is training hard on their own. Aasen was top-ten five times in World Cup races this season and had only two other Norwegians ahead of him in the distance part of the World Cup and was 13th overall. Very few have accomplished something like this without beening associated with or on the national team. It wasn’t hard to select him.

– He has performed very well for two to three years without having been selected to the national team. Selecting Aasen sends an important signal that it’s possible to make the elite team even when you are not young, says national team assistant coach Morten Djupvik whom is adding that Aasen’s “athlete age” is relatively young since he was away from skiing for several years. The biggest surprise when the national teams were announced was that 2005 World Championship and 2006 Olympic team member Jan Egil Andresen wasn’t selected. He was considered a medal candidate a few months ago and wasn’t found good enough for the 15 men big national team now…

Other skiers that were kicked off the team:
Espen “The O2-King” Harald Bjerke and Kristian Horntvedt (several time junior World Champion a few years ago). Both Bjerke and Horntvedt struggled with illness this season.

Morten Djupvik was the coach for Andresen Bjerke and Horntvedt.