The FIS Season opener at Beitostølen was no less than a performance bonanza for the young and promising Team Madshus.
With two podiums in two days, 19-year-old Helene Marie Fossesholm (above) is already named to the squad for the World Cup opener in Finland on November 27 to 29.
On the men’s side, U23 World Champion Harald Østberg Amundsen crushed the established national team in the 15-kilometer skate race on Sunday and put his name on the draw for one of two remaining spots in the men’s squad. “That podium felt incredibly good. I’ve trained so hard, put in so many hours and now I see that it pays off. I felt like I’ve made some improvements, but now I have proof,” Østberg Amundsen said after his impressive second place Sunday afternoon.
Additionally, several of the Team Madshus racers put in solid applications for the few spots on the World Cup team not reserved for the A Team.
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The triple header race weekend opened with classic sprint races on Friday, where Mathilde Myhrvold pulled off an impressive fourth place in the company of some of the best sprinters on the World Cup. Additionally, Hedda Østberg Amundsen was ninth after finishing fifth in the qualifier. Among the men, Sivert Knotten was eight both in the qualifier and the final.
On Saturday, Fossesholm bagged her first podium, pulling in to an impressive second place in her first race for the season. Fellow Team Madshus racers Karoline Simpson-Larsen and Østberg Amundsen followed right behind, placing sixth and seventh, respectively.
On Sunday, Fossesholm posted her second podium finish. The turbo junior was third in the 10-kilometer skate race. Simpson-Larsen posted an impressive fourth place, just eight seconds shy of the podium. Combined with her sixth place in the 10-kilomter classic on Saturday, the 23-year-old put in a strong bid for a ticket to the World Cup opener in Ruka (FIN) next weekend.
The World Cup team will be announced early this week.
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Inge Scheve
Inge is FasterSkier's international reporter, born and bred in Norway. A cross-country ski racer and mountain runner, she also dabbles on two wheels in the offseason. If it's steep and long, she loves it. Follow her on Twitter: @IngeScheve.
