Madshus Racers Open The 2020-21 Race Season With Half A Dozen Podiums

In the first serious competitions since the corona pandemic shut down the World Cup in early March, Madshus racers post no less than six podiums at the Blink summer ski festival in Sandnes (NOR) between the cross-country, biathlon and marathon events at the annual 4-day race weekend.

Turbo junior Helene Marie Fossesholm signed off her first competition as a part of the Norwegian elite national team with two podiums in three days. First, the 19-year-old powerpack was third in the brutal 7.5-kilometer hill climb race Lysebotn Opp on Thursday, where Fossesholm also reduced the gap to Therese Johaug in first place by more than 50 percent compared to last year. Then, Fossesholm was second in the 10-kilometer classic race on Saturday.

Additionally, Karoline Simpson-Larsen was fourth in the Thursday hill climb, less than 10 seconds from the podium.

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U23-World Champion Harald Østberg Amundsen was eighth in Lysebotn Opp on Thursday, two seconds behind fellow Madshus racer Vebjørn Turtveit, and tenth in the 15-kilometer classic race on Saturday.

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Mathilde Myhrvold, who was named to the Norwegian national development team this season, was second in the sprint race on Friday and sixth in the 10-kilometer classic race on Saturday.

Madshus biathletes also pulled off two podiums in two days. On Friday, Vebjørn Sørum was third in the biathlon supersprint. Sivert Bakken was sixth in the same competition and Sturla Holm Lægreid 11th, while Jørgen Krogsæter made it to final in the one-on-one shooting competition.

On Saturday, the Juni Arnekleiv was third in the women’s mass start with Åsne Skrede in sixth and Jenny Enodd in tenth place, while Vebjørn Sørum was ninth in the men’s mass start.

Finally, Madshus marathon racers cap off the Blink festival with winning the marathon roller ski race Blink Classic by a solid margin. Astrid Øyre Slind  (in the photo at the top of this article) pulled Team Koteng into first place with four and a half minutes to spare in to the next team in the 12-hour relay.

Complete results from all the 2020 Blink festival competitions

Check out the full line of Madshus Redline equipment – the gear champions grab!