By Philip O’Connor
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – As the whole world worried about COVID-19, British cross-country skier Andrew Musgrave was struck down by a virus of a different kind as a bout of shingles derailed his Olympic preparations in November.
A headache and a reddened eye were the first signs that he was infected with the varicella zoster virus, which causes shingles, and it was not a pleasant experience for the Norway-based Brit.
“‘Hellfire’ is what they call it in Norwegian and it is a very good description, because it was absolute hell when I had it. I got it in my eye, and it was so horrifically painful,” Musgrave told Reuters, grimacing at the memory.
“I had a few days where all I could do was lie in bed and feel sorry for myself — when everybody else was worried about COVID, you are suffering from this. I could not have cared less about COVID for those few days.”
It wasn’t the only bad luck he had in 2021 — earlier in the year the 31-year-old underwent surgery after a crash.
“I fell over in the spring while backcountry skiing and tore my pec (pectoral muscle, which attaches the chest to the upper arm), ripped the tendon that attaches the pec to the bone and had to get that stuck back on,” he said, matter-of-factly.
“But I was super lucky and I was back to full training under less than three months, so I am very happy to be here.”
Born in England, Musgrave moved to Alaska as a five-year-old and fell in love with winter sports there, testing Alpine skiing and snowboarding before focusing on cross-country.
Living in Norway since 2009, he expressed sympathy for the Norwegian skiers, whom he knows well from the ski circuit, that have been affected by COVID-19.
“I think it’s been an absolute stress for them, so the guys that are here, I think they are very happy to be here. They have had a far from optimal pre-camp and preparation for the Games, so I’m very glad I’ve not been in their shoes,” he said.
Having put his own injury and illness troubles behind him, Musgrave was unsure if the absence of some of the strong Norwegian skiers might open up an opportunity for him.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We’ll find out soon.”
The men’s cross-country races get underway with the skiathlon on Sunday.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Toby Davis)
