Nordic Skiingcross country - Great Britain
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Neveitalia met exclusively the Scottish Andrew Musgrave distance runner who tells us about his particular story started in a land that never before had produced world-class champions.
Tuesday 28 March 2017 13 minutes reading time
In a discipline historically dominated by Scandinavians, Russians, Finns and cross-country skiers born in the Alpine countries, see a British conclude a 50km 4th at the World Championships in Lahti should have at least created a certain anxiety and a kind of awe only to those who follow the bottom in superficial way.
But the result obtained by the Scottish champion Andrew Musgrave not '' as no surprise if we analyze the results obtained in this season and his constant and regular growth since the Huntly boy and '' moved steadily in that of Trondheim in 2011 .
A hint of its potential the 26 year old Scottish the 'had already given a month before with 6th place finish in the 15km skating Ulricehamn. But these were not infrequent flashes in the pan for "Muzzy" as it is commonly called by friends and fans. Already during the 2015 Tour de Ski the Scot had set the fastest time of the day in the 25km skating pursuit of Dobbiaco.
His personal best achieved in Lahti still not '' enough to have the front pages of newspapers and the UK tabloid that time all dedicated to Chelsea, Tottenham and Six Nations Rugby. This little consideration of the British media 'fund highlander gives his explanation: "Skiing in the UK can be in only headnews for the Olympics. The Olympic Games are a great event in my country. If I reached a medal at the Olympics in the background then most likely I will have anch''io the first page of the newspapers, the TV news opened, with my name and this would be historic for us. "
For the Andrew 'approach to the cross-country and' 'was pretty random. Born in the Scottish highlands 20km north of Aberdeen, his fortune is revealed the work that plays the father for an oil company. In fact, when Andrew was 5 years old, Dad '' Musgrave and his entire family for work is transferred in Alaska and in the 49th state in stars and stripes little Andrew learns quickly skating and begins to dabble with the first amateur competitions Ski basically .
Some years later, back in his native Scotland, Muzzy, he enrolled in the local ski club in Huntly - one of only two active in the land of 'Albion - but there causes little snow present during the Scottish winters he and' 'forced more '' what else to train almost exclusively with roller skis and make very few true competition with which to measure with true level opponents.
He finished his years in high school of '' Aberdeenshire, Musgrave was admitted to the prestigious Bath University but soon realizes that no real training on snow would not be able to fully develop his career as a distance runner. Shortly after receiving an invitation to train together with the Norwegian Ski school Hovden, in the heart of the bottom button Norge. And Andrew does not miss this opportunity, abandons the 'Anglo-Saxon universities to begin with the first real competitions and comparisons in Norway. Spent a year at Hovden and two in Lillehammer he calls "my first real year full time skiing, surrounded by snow and in competitions" during which takes full confidence with the methods and Norwegian bokmål language, Muzzy exceeds the 'exam of 'by the university entrance Trondheim. Lessons and courses but '' attends part time.
From 2013 his top priority is the cross country and his will is to establish itself as a top athlete.
We said its steady growth year after year, consequently making his debut in the World Cup in Ruka in November 2008 by Anonymous 79 ° and 82 ° respectively in the sprint and 15km alternately.
Its range in the first 3/4 years testifies regularly between the eightieth and fifty-fifth square. Most relevant his years as a junior with a personal best on the 9th place finish in Praz de Lys.
The first points in the World Cup coming to Oberhof 2011 in the prologue of the Tour de Ski (28 °). From there to January 2014, Andrew is constantly attests between 25 ° and 45 ° position. But when in Molde Norwegian Championships leaves behind all the Scandinavian sprinter, his first real victory aroused a first considerable attention in the trade press that Norge noticed all''improvviso the "Scotsman" that beats the most '' quoted Hattestad , Krogh, Gloersen etc to 3 weeks from the Sochi Olympics. Andrew in his second Olympic adventure does not shine particularly, because as dira '' he later of too many competitions held before the Russian transfer. Clearly better world where successive Gong in his favorite format - the 15km skating - ends with a very good 16th place.
The rest '' recent history with the '' 11th place in the skating World Championships in Lahti in 2017 and the famous final sprint of 50km where missing for only 1 "5 a medal that would be historic for the Reign of Elizabeth II.
- How did you start with the child cross country skiing in Scotland before and then in Alaska?
I lived for six years in Alaska from '' age '' of 5 years to 11. I've learned to ski, but in reality '' is with my Huntly ski club that I started the first real competitions. There are many skiers in Britain, but at Huntly c''è a ski center with a path of roller-ski and a few times in the winter there is enough snow to learn to ski.
- How do you consider yourself as a skier? And what are your main characteristics?
I'm not the fastest cross-country skier in the World Cup circuit for the sprint and even a long-term with the highest index VO2 max, but what I have is a right combination between the two. This means that in formats that are not too short and not too long and hard I can do very well.
- What are the memories you've imprinted forever in the recent World Championships in Lahti? And you expected to get the 4th place in the 50km classic?
The thing that I will remember forever is surely the 50km. I expected that if I had had a good day I could be close to getting a medal. In the end I was a bit '' surprised to have done so well in the 50km. Before leaving for the Lahti 'event where I thought I could get my best I was definitely the skiathlon.
- You can describe it better to the public of Neveitalia Andrew Musgrave as a person outside of the World Cup races?
I'm a normal guy outside the competitions. Study part-time engineering by the university Norwegian Academy of Science and Technology in Trondheim. Apart from that when I have free time I relax by fishing or taking long climbing / mountain walks.
- What would you like to change in the circuit of the World Cup or in cross country in general?
In truth c''è much that I would like to change. I do not like the 'idea of ​​introducing specific areas where it is forbidden to double-poling. I think that the FIS should just accept that the pressure step is part of the classical technique of cross country skiing and use the most challenging tracks in classic races.
- You are a native of Scotland, and that '' land of many excellent bands. Listen to music of your ground before competitions? And what usually listen to music outside of the races?
Generally do not listen to music before races. But in his free time listening to various genres of music. I can hear everything from Rage Against the Machine to DR. Dre, up to Simon and Garfunkel. Some of my Scottish bands are We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Elephant Sessions and Paolo Nutini.
- After obtaining the 4th place at the World Cup, the 2018 Olympics will be Korea Your main objective for next season. In which aspects will mainly be focused on your summer and autumn training to make un''ulteriore step forward in Pyeongchang?
Next year my main focus will be the 15km skating and skiathlon in Pyeongchang. My main focus will be to improve myself in the classic technique to be competitive in the skiathlon.
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