Petter Northug

Petter Northug Jr. ( born January 6, 1986 in Mosvik, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway) is a Norwegian cross-country skier. The six-time Junior World Champion won at the age of 20 years as the youngest skiers of all time a World Cup competition. In the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, he won the gold medal in the pursuit of competition and 50km mass start race ( freestyle). With two gold medals and one each silver and bronze medals, he was one of the most successful athlete at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. With three gold and two silver medals Northug achieved his biggest success at a major event at the Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo.

Life and career

Junior time (until 2005)

After Northug had tried as a biathlete and ski jumper in his youth, he decided to focus fully on the cross-country skiing due to its running strength, after which he was employed at the age of 16 years in the Continental Cup (COC ). In February 2004, his first assignment was followed at Nordic Junior World Championships at home in Stryn, where he reached the semifinals as the only Norwegian starter and 6th place in the final standings was able to prove. About the 10 km freestyle, he finished in the victory of the German Franz Göring directly behind Dario Cologna in 25th place. In the season 2004/ 05 he was sent to good results in the Scandinavian Cup (COC ), including a second place over 15 km freestyle in Lapinlahti, first used in the World Cup. As the youngest athlete in the starting field as he missed 35 in a sprint in Drammen just the finals. Two weeks later at the Junior World Championships in Rovaniemi, he showed again that harbors great potential in him. Right at the start of the tournament, he secured the title in the final sprint in the pursuit competition. About the 10 km freestyle distance he won clearly with 30 seconds ahead of the Japanese Keishin Yoshida, in the sprint competition, which was held in the classical technique, he had to give only his compatriot Even Sletten beaten and in the final season of competition he secured with the Norwegian team the silver medal behind the victorious Russian squadron.

Breakthrough into the world top (2006-2007)

At the beginning of the 2005/06 season was Northug again participate in Beitostølen at a World Cup competition. Started the race with start number 21, he fought his way through the 15 km classic and 21 his first World Cup points. A short time later, in Vuokatti about 15 km freestyle, his first victory in the Scandinavian Cup. In January 2006 Northug won his first Norwegian Championship title with the seniors in the final sprint against his training partner by Frode Estil in the pursuit competition and became the first junior, who won a title at senior level at the Norwegian Championships. After further operations in the World Cup, where he could usually run in the top -30, and further victories in the Scandinavian Cup, he went as a big favorite to the Junior World Championships in Kranj. There succeeded Northug all four to be awarded titles (sprint, 10 km classic, pursuit and relay ) to win. Although he was celebrated for its performance this season as the new star in Norway, he was not nominated for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin. That would have been a nomination justified, he showed at the World Cup competitions, which were held after the Olympics. Northug, who had worked as the leader in the Scandinavian Cup participation in the World Cup, reached as seventh in the sprint in Borlänge for the first time a top ten placement. A day later, he sat down in Falun against the world's elite by and became the youngest winner ever in the World Cup ahead of the leader Tobias Angerer and Axel Teichmann the tracking competition. At the last World Cup competition in Sapporo Japanese he mounted the podium again second behind Mathias Fredriksson. He finished the season in 14th place in the overall World Cup and won the overall title of the Scandinavian Cup.

Since the beginning of the 2006/07 season Northug is a member of the Norwegian national team. After initial problems at the beginning of the season he showed at the inaugural Tour de Ski stable results among the top ten, which secured him fourth overall in the final rankings. Even after the Tour de Ski, he showed with two fifth places in Davos, Changchun, that is to be expected at the Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 in Sapporo with him. In the team sprint, he reached with Tor Arne Hetland, however, who crashed in the final, only the seventh place. In his favorite race, the tracking competition, Northug was among the top group, and it increased shortly before the finish the pace. However, he hooked up with his sticks and skis unhappy, crashed and finished at the end deeply disappointed only fifth place. In the 15 km freestyle competition, marked by heavy snowfall in the group of the best runners wat he was even just 24 in the relay race but Northug once again showed its strength in the final sprint and pointed with a strong inaugural Yevgeny Dementiev and Anders Sodergren on the silver or bronze medal. After winning his first World Championship title to Northug sat for the first time in Lahti in a World Cup sprint competition. At the end of the season he improved the overall World Cup to seventh place. In the 2007 /08 season was Northug changeable services. Although he improved his sprint qualities and won the Tour de Ski 2007/ 08 the sprint in Asiago, but often reached, especially in distance races only rankings to 30th place. At the end of the season he improved in the Sprint Cup and finished in 14th place in the overall World Cup twelfth place.

First individual world title and Olympic gold medal (since 2008)

Right at the beginning of the 2008/09 season proved Northug that he had found back to its former strength in distance races. In the first World Cup competition of the season in Gällivare over a distance of 15 km freestyle, he finished first in his career in a race with interval start a podium finish. Two weeks later, he won the World Cup in La Clusaz on the 30 km freestyle ( mass start ). Its good he proved Forms also at the Tour de Ski 2008/ 09, when he decided to sprint in Nove Mesto na Moravě for himself and was able to fight his way to the final stage from fifth to second place. At the season's peak, the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Northug showed that he knows like no other how to run at the mass start competitions and save energy in the slipstream and then play his sprint strength in the final sprint. After he had been hiding for a long time in the back field, he sat down at the decisive attack by Anders Sodergren together with Giorgio Di Centa, Alexander Legkow and Sodergren on the field. On the last kilometer he increased the pace so strong that the others could not follow him, and he could win his first individual world title clearly ahead Sodergren and di Centa. As a finisher of the Norwegian team managed Northug as in the Tour de Ski, outclassed a residue on Axel Teichmann. In the final sprint, he referred Teichmann significantly and thus secured the Norwegian team again the gold medal in the relay competition. His third gold medal won Northug, who thus became the most successful athletes in the world championship, in the final contest the 50 km free style, where he won the sprint just before the Russian runner Maxim Wylegschanin and Tobias Angerer. In the first competition after the World Cup proved Northug that he would have had a chance at a medal in the sprint competition. In the freestyle sprint in Lahti he gave himself a hard fight with the sprint world champion Ola Vigen Hattestad and won his second World Cup race of the season. With a fifth place about 50 km classic in Trondheim Northug took the lead in the overall standings of the World Cup and was a great favorite in the World Cup Final. There, however, he lost in the third stage decisive ground on Dario Cologna and finished at the end with a significant backlog of more than 100 points to second place in the overall World Cup. In the overall rankings of the sprint and distance World Cup he reached fifth place and third place, the best-ever rankings of his career. He won the election to Norway's Aftenposten Athlete of the Year as well as the Gold Medal in late 2009.

Northug dominated the 2009/10 season with a total of eight podiums, including five wins and three second places. In addition, he won the second stage of the Tour de Ski, finishing in second place in the overall standings behind Lukas Bauer. Also at the World Cup finals, he could chose a stage and the overall title for themselves. With a clear lead of 600 points he convincingly won the World Cup overall standings and also secured the overall victory of the distance standings and second place in the sprint. The 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver began for Northug but with a disappointment. About the 15-kilometer freestyle he fell far short of expectations and took only the 41st rank. But already in the sprint competition, he took back to his strength and won the bronze medal. In pursuit competition he went as a big favorite in the race and was a member until shortly before the end of the point group, when he suffered a kilometers to break a stick. Northug could not run the gap and had to settle for eleventh place. In the team sprint Northug went along with Øystein Pettersen at the start. Before the last change of the German Tim Tscharnke could clearly settle and handed by a margin of 2.6 seconds to Axel Teichmann. Northug, however, managed to harness its strength sprint again and Teichmann catch up just before the finish and to overtake and thus win his first Olympic gold medal. In the relay competition Northug secured with its strengths in the final sprint of the Norwegian relay team silver medal. In the last competition the classic 50 kilometers ( mass start ) it came to a duel by the German Axel Teichmann against Petter Northug. The Germans were able to break away on the last climb of the top group. However, Northug was again able to reduce the gap in the downhill and won as a few days earlier in the team sprint duel down the stretch against Teichmann and thus his second gold medal.

The 2010/11 season began, however, not very pleasant for the Norwegians. After poor performances in the preparatory race in Beitostølen he resigned due to overloading in training on the first race of the season and only returned in Davos in the World Cup back. There he occupied about 15 km classic twelfth place. In the sprint competition, he survived the qualification, but separated already in the quarter- finals. After a third place at the start and the triumph in the 20 km mass start, the Norwegian Tour de Ski finished again in second place, as in the two previous years.

In the Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo, he defended his title in the pursuit and was behind the Swede Marcus Hellner second in the sprint. Another silver medal he won together with Ola Vigen Hattestad in the team sprint. With the Norwegian relay team also he won the gold medal in the 4x10 km relay, where Northug as the final runner but caused a negative peak of the World Cup: With a strong inaugural succeeded Northug a few hundred meters before the finish in by his rivals depose the top group. After he saw down the stretch that could catch him no other runners more, he braked at the last minute from, put his ski cross, looked back at his pursuers and passed shortly before this the finish line. His behavior is considered by many media, but also by athletes and officials as unsportsmanlike and provocation. Particularly piquant: The Swedish squadron won the silver medal, with Marcus Hellner - Northug in the sprint competition could beat almost - the final runner was. During the final 50 - km marathon to Northug took another gold medal, defending his title of Liberec successful. Second as early as 2009 Maxim Wylegschanin, who had to give up the Norwegian beaten in the finish again. Northug was promoted with three gold and two silver medals the most successful female athletes of the World Cup.

At the World Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme Northug won the gold medal over 15 km of skating in the interval start and in the season. He also won silver in the individual sprint. As Titelverteiger he remained both in Skiathlon and over 50km without precious metal. Nevertheless, he was able to maintain its status as the most successful male cross-country athlete, as with the previous major events.

Victories in World Cup race

1 with Øystein Pettersen, Odd - Bjørn Frode Estil and Hjelmeset 2 with Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Chris Jespersen and Morten Eilifsen 3 Martin Johnsrud Sundby with, Eldar Rønning and Tore Ruud Hofstad 4 Tor Arne Hetland with, Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Tord Asle Gjerdalen 5 with Eldar Rønning, Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Ronny Hafsås 6 with Eldar Rønning, Finn Hagen Krogh and Lars Berger 7 with Eldar Rønning, Niklas and Martin Johnsrud Sundby Dyrhaug 8 with Eldar Rønning, Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Sjur Røthe

Others

Since the summer of 2007, Northug, who quickly moved to Norway a large media attention, but also quickly lost due to ill-considered statements of sympathy, advice in non-sporting matters of Bjørn Dæhlie.

Northugs younger brother Tomas is also active skiers and won at the Junior World Cup in 2010 the gold medal in the sprint competition and with the Norwegian season.