Norwegian skier Iversen parties at Olympics, then finishes 10th

Norwegian skier Iversen celebrated the end of the Olympic Games, only to learn the next morning that he would start the royal 50-kilometre race, in which he went on to finish tenth. The story was kept secret until it appeared in a book about the Norwegian cross-country ski team.

Before that, Iversen had raced only the sprint at the Games and expected no more starts: his name was not on the entry list for the final 50-kilometre race. The 26-year-old skier had all but packed his bags and was about to head home, so he decided to give his Olympic adventure a proper send-off.

By morning the plan had changed. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo pulled out of the 50 kilometres, saying he was mentally drained after four races. The coaches decided to offer the vacant spot to Iversen.

When they knocked on his door, the new book says, they found the skier still dressed, his accreditation hanging crookedly, after a wild night. “He had a real hangover,” former team member Tenset told the newspaper VG. “That wouldn’t happen today,” added his former teammate Golberg.

There were still two days before the Olympic 50 km, so Iversen had time to recover. He accepted the offer. “I was ready to go home on Friday. But plans changed, and you just have to try to pull yourself together,” he told Eurosport at the time. He did not, of course, mention the wild celebration.

The book about twenty years of the Norwegian cross-country team was written by expert Petter Skinstad together with Tenset and Golberg. “Maybe it’s down to where it all happened. The media weren’t as close. Anywhere else, it would surely have come out,” Tenset explained.

Iversen himself has not commented on the new details but, according to VG, he knows the story is being published.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz