Petter Northug

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Petter Northug (born January 6, 1986 in Mosvik in Nord-Trøndelag), is a Norwegian cross country skier. He trains with Strindheim IL, based in Trondheim, where he is coached by Thomas Alsgaard. He is 6ft 1" (185cm), and weighs 180lbs (82kg, 12st 12lb). He has two brothers, Even and Tomas.^[1] Northug finished school in 2006, but during the summer of 2005 he changed schools from Steinkjer to Meråker and moved into a cabin next to the ski trails to optimize his training conditions.^[2]

[edit] Biography

Before he joined the World Cup he competed in a few Continental Cup meetings, but mostly in the Scandinavian Cup. During his Scandinavian Cup career (2004/05 & 2005/06) he had seven podium finishes, he came second once in 2004/05, and in 2005/06 he scored four victories, and two second places. Three of those victories were in 15km races, and one a pursuit.

The 2005/06 season was Northugs first in the World Cup, although he competed in one race the season before, a sprint in Drammen, he came 35th. During the 2005/06 season he shared his time equally between the World Cup and the Scandinavian Cup, although in early May 2006 it was announced that Northug would be in the senior national team for the 2006/07 season.^[3] Northug also claimed his first World Cup victory in the 2005/06 season, in a pursuit race in Falun, beating 2005/06 World Cup winner Tobias Angerer, who came second, and 2004/05 overall champion Axel Teichmann was third.^[4] Then in the last race of the year, a pursuit in Sapporo he claimed another podium place, coming second.^[5] He lost to Mathias Fredriksson by 3.8 seconds. He also came seventh, tenth, and twelfth in sprint races, and fifteenth in the 50km freestyle in Holmenkollen. Northug finished the 2005/06 World Cup season in 14th place overall. He also finished 14th in the distance standings, and 24th in the sprint.^[6]

Northug has six gold medals from junior World Championships. His first two gold medals came in 2004/05 in the pursuit and the 10km freestyle in Rovaniemi, then in 2005/06 in Kranj he won gold in the 10km classic, the pursuit, the sprint, and the relay. He also has two silver medals (one in the sprint, and one in the relay, both in 2004/05). His victories made him the first athlete ever to win five individual gold medals at the FIS Junior Nordic World Ski Championships. During 2005/06 he also took part in the Norwegian National Championships, and won the double pursuit race, beating Frode Estil by 1.9 seconds, and became the first junior to ever win a Norwegian National Championship.

Northug is generally considered a star of the future. Whilst he was still a junior Verdens Gang newspaper reported in November 2005 that “The ski manufacturers are fighting to get Northug” 1. Fischer won his signature, and his contract included a base salary (the first time ever for a junior), which would be multiplied by five if he made the Norwegian elite team for 2006/07, which he has. The contract also offered bonuses if he won medals in the junior World Championships, he won four gold.^[7]

After Norway's disappointing display at the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Norwegian press questioned why Northug was not taken to the games. Northug himself admitted he was disappointed after not getting selected, especially as he had won the double pursuit in the National Championships earlier in the year.^[8]

Northug won his first gold medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo as a member of the 4 x 10 km relay in 2007.

He is also a current member of Team pfGames, the official team of the poker host pfGames.

[edit] Career highlights

[edit] Trivia

His hobbies include music and poker.^[9]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• FIS-Ski: Petter Northug, jr. - statistics
• Official website (Norwegian)