Cross-country: Coach Chris Jespersen explains why Astrid Øyre Slind aggravated her injury

Coach Chris Jespersen admits that a lapse in supervision led to Astrid Øyre Slind re-aggravating her Achilles injury just before the season began.

According to Jespersen, Slind was supposed to complete one hour of classic skiing on a treadmill followed by one hour on a double‑poling machine. While Jespersen was tied up on a phone call, Slind continued on the treadmill for the full two hours instead of switching, testing whether she could tolerate the longer load. The next day, when she tried to ski, her Achilles flared up and she had to stop after an hour.

Jespersen called the situation “hopeless” and said he should have paid closer attention. Slind acknowledged she had to “lay flat” and accept responsibility, noting that similar 90‑minute sessions had gone well and she wanted to try two hours.

On medical advice, Slind skipped the national season opener at Beitostølen. Over the coming days, the team will decide whether it makes sense for her to race the World Cup in Ruka, likely avoiding the classic distance but potentially starting in the skate event to get race efforts in. A home World Cup in Trondheim follows in two weeks, and the long‑term goal remains the Olympic Games in Val di Fiemme.