By Philip O’Connor
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Norway’s newly-minted Olympic champion Johannes Klaebo said a change of mindset following a disappointing opening race paid off handsomely as he sprinted to another gold medal on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old stomped past reporters following Sunday’s 40th place in the skiathlon, but cut a happier figure after a barnstorming victory in the individual sprint event.
“I’m very happy for sure. The last two weeks have been really stressful with the COVID situation and my coach being at home and everything … especially the last two days have been difficult,” he told Reuters.
“The Olympics didn’t start the way I’d hoped for, so I was trying to turn the mindset and trying to be on the positive side again – it’s been difficult, but I think we have done a good job. And it’s for sure special to stand here now as an Olympic gold medallist,” he added.
Klaebo explained how his coach and team mates have been hit by positive COVID-19 tests and close contacts have had to isolate from the rest of the party, and that his emotions got the better of him after Sunday’s race.
“I wasn’t happy. I know it’s wrong to just go through (past the journalists), but I was really disappointed. When I was crossing the finish line or the last three laps there, I was just starting to think about the sprint and say ‘okay, I need to really start changing my mindset now and trying to focus on today’s race’,” he said.
Four-time Olympic champion Klaebo intends to carry his new positivity into the rest of his Olympics.
“I’ll just try to take one race at a time, and now I will just try to enjoy this day today, but then tomorrow I will take it in, try to see if I will go (race) on Friday,” he said.
Friday brings the 15 km classic race, but with dry snow proving taxing on the energy levels for many competitors, Klaebo has not yet decided if he will be ready.
One way or another, this is not likely to be the last of him at the Beijing Games.
“We’ve sure got a lot of fun races left,” he said as the lights went out at the National Cross Country Centre.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
