Back to normal
The Sunday a hundred years ago today dawned with a strong, icy wind, cloudy and deep cold—not the improved weather that Thue had feared at all. Still the stands were considerably more crowded than the day before with thousands standing there and shivering and watching Oscar winning hugely in the 1500, which started at 2 pm.Results 1.Oscar Mathisen.KSK 2.28,1 2.Martin Sæterhaug.TSK 2.33,6 3.Henning Olsen.KSK 2.37,0 4.Trygve Lundgreen.KSK 2.38,3 5.Stener Johannessen.KSK 2.38,9 6.Johannes Fladaas.TSK 2.39,3 7.Bjarne Frang.KSK 2.39,5 8.Alf Lundaas.HSK 2.49,9 9.Lars Larsen.HSK 2.56,0 10.August Pihl Andersen.HSK 2.56,2 pb
Overall 1.Henning Olsen.KSK 9 Martin Sæterhaug.TSK 9 Oscar Mathisen.KSK 9 4.Trygve Lundgreen.KSK 10 5.Stener Johannessen.KSK 12 6.Johannes Fladaas.TSK 15 7.Lars Larsen.HSK 20If the 5000m was set up correctly, Oscar Mathisen would meet his clubmate Bjarne Frang, lapping him well before the finish, beating him my more than a lap. I don’t know in which pair.
Mathisen 64,2-1.47-2.31,4-3.18,2-3.59,2-4.43,4-5.26,2-6.10,4-6.55-7.40-8.24,3-9.09,4 Frang 69-1.54,8-2.40-3.28,7-4.18-5.07,9-5.58,5-6.49,2-7.39,1-8.28-9.18-10.07,3Lundaas meets Pihl Andersen. Splittimes here do not match the final time well.
Lundaas 68,5-1.55,1-2.44,7-3.35-4.24,5-5.16-6.07,4-6.59,2-7.51,8-8.43,4-9.34,9-10.12,2 Pihl Andersen 10.51,3Sæterhaug meets Larsen, the latter also with some obvious mistakes in the splits given. The Trønder of course can win overall if he beats Mathisen, and he does follow his pace for a few laps, but not for long.
Sæterhaug 64-1.47,2-2-2.31,4-3.17-4.04,3-4.50-5.37,5-6.24,2-7.11,2-7.58-8.45-9.31,0 Larsen 68,4-1.54,9-2.47,2?-3.31,9-4.21,1-5.11,4-6.01,2-6.44?-7.34,3?-8.25,2?-9.44?-10.14,0Olsen beats Fladaas, pulling away after a 5 lap close battle. He too can win overall if he beats Oscar, but doesn’t really try.
Olsen 66,5-1.50,4-2.34,9-3.19,4-4.05,1-4.50-5.34,4-6.22-7.07,2-7.55-8.42-9.27,4 Fladaas 66,4-1.50,3-2.35,2-3.20-4.05,6-4.52,1-5.39,9-6.26-7.13,7-7.59,8-8.47-9.32,9A good fight was expected from the specialists Johannessen and Lundgreen, but the latter, who lead overall after day 1, and still had a chance to win overall if he could beat Oscar here, stops after skating well for many laps. One of his legs had “taken leave”, as he put it.
Johannessen 67-1.49,4-2.33,3-3.17,2-4.02,4-4.47-5.32,2-6.17-7.02,3-7.47-8.35-9.20,3 Lundgreen dnf
Resultater 1.Oscar Mathisen.KSK 9.09,4 2.Stener Johannessen.KSK 9.20,3 3.Henning Olsen.KSK 9.27,4 4.Martin Sæterhaug.TSK 9.31,9 5.Johannes Fladaas.TSK 9.32,9 pb 6.Bjarne Frang.KSK 10.07,3 7.Alf Lundaas.HSK 10.12,2 pb 8.Lars Larsen.HSK 10.14,0 pb 9.August Pihl Andersen.HSK 10.51,3 Trygve Lundgreen.KSK dnf
Overall GULL.Oscar Mathisen.KSK 3 wins (9 points) Sølv.Henning Olsen.KSK 11 bronse.Stener Johannessen.KSK 12 (31.34,5 in total time 4.Martin Sæterhaug.TSK 12 (32.45,4 in total time) 5.Johannes Fladaas.TSK 17 6.Lars Larsen.HSK 23So it was back to normal after all. Oscar was number one in distance wins as well as in points, and the championship ended in the usual fashion with the crowd storming the track and carrying the champion around it in a lap of honour, cheering wildly. And in the evening the usual party with price giving, dancing and singing for hours into the night.
One of the happiest ones with his own achievements may be my (possible) near or far relation, Lars Larsen, who skated both his first 5000 and 10000 meters and jumped into Adelskalenderen in 135th place, finishing all the championship distances and winning his first (and last) overall prize, “ærespris”.
No doubt Henning Olsen was less happy. In a fortnight he had lost both his national records and now his championship, too. At least he won silver overall with third places in every distance. And the knowledge that his country had a chance against the foreign powers. That must be something?
Neste stopp: VM i Klagenfurt.