Cross-country: Emil Iversen wins again after being left off Norway’s Ruka team: “I got an energy boost”

Emil Iversen was not selected for Norway’s team for the World Cup season opener in Ruka, Finland. Over the weekend, he answered emphatically by winning twice at the Gålå races in Norway: Friday’s 10 km freestyle and Sunday’s 20 km classic.

Iversen, 34, said the non‑selection and the reasoning behind it—one cited factor was that 24‑year‑old Edvard Sandvik is younger, despite having finished behind Iversen at Norway’s season opener—motivated him. “It really affected me; the arguments were so thin that I got energy from it,” he told Norwegian outlet VG. He added that “some frightening things have happened” in how the case was handled, and that he wants to raise specific points with the federation so it doesn’t happen again.

The double victory in Gålå secures Iversen a place at next weekend’s World Cup in Trondheim. Norway’s cross‑country director Per Elias Kalfoss said meeting in Trondheim won’t be difficult from his side, and praised Iversen’s form: “It’s great; Emil is skiing very fast.” Iversen, who cried in the finish area after Sunday’s race, described the past week as turbulent and emotionally charged.