TT - Magnus Krog: "Kuusamo
gives me that extra touch of excitement!"
Magnus Krog - Sandra Volk
The new season is so close, you can actually already
feel it and who better to check-in with this shortly
before the kick-off than Norway's Magnus Krog. The
26-year-old really likes the World Cup opener in
Kuusamo and has been a fixture on the podium for
two years in a row now. in TUESDAY TALK, he tells
us why that is, what he has done over the summer
and how being part of a team as strong and the Norwegian
one feels like.
We are starting the season in Kuusamo again this
year. It's a venue you should have plenty of positive
associations with, being on the podium last year
and winning your first WC the winter before. What
is it about Kuusamo that suits you so well?
Magnus Krog: Well, first of all I do like the hill
in Kuusamo. It's one of the funniest hills to jump
in during our winter season. The feeling of passing
the nole (hopefully) and then continue to fly is
amazing. I also like the atmosphere when we all
are gathered together, Cross-country, Nordic Combined
and Ski Jumping. It's more show during the competition
days, and I feel this gives me an extra touch of
excitement. Normally, it's also the first competition,
the grand opening of the World Cup season. Some
extra nerves are building up inside my body, and
when I can handle this in the right way (as I feel
I've done the last two years), it helps a bit with
my performance.
We will kick the season off with a full team event
as a first competition to start the winter with
some team spirit. Do you like that type of event?
Is it a good start for the Olympic season?
Krog: Team events are always fun, and it will be
interesting to start the season like this. It will
certainly give us an indication of which teams are
well prepared for the Olympics. But a lot can change
before we get to Sochi.
Considering the strong Norwegian team, do you have
a guess who will actually competing in this first
event?
Krog: I hope my name will be in the team of course.
I do like to compete in Kuusamo, but we are a strong
team, and it's difficult to put up four names right
now. Everyone in the team has a fair chance of taking
up a spot, so you wont have any clear guess from
me before the competition is about to start (laughs).
Last year, the Norwegian team was really performing
well in the first part of the season. What can we
expect from you this year?
Krog: We are about to start an Olympic season, and
of course I hope the team will perform as well as
last year. With a good start in the competitions
before Christmas, we can be sure of that we are
on the right way towards the Olympics.
Unfortunately, we haven't seen you during the Summer
Grand Prix, so you'll have to tell us a little bit
about your shape. How has the summer been?
Krog: When the Summer Grand Prix was about to take
place, I felt a bit tired due to a period of a lot
of training. So I decided to not compete and rather
rest for a while. Right now I feel it was a good
choice. It was satisfaction enough for me to see
that the team did well both in the jumping part
and in the races.
What are your goals for the first part of the season
until Christmas?
Krog: My goals is to perform well, and I'm really
looking forward to Kuusamo again. I hope to make
some competition jumps on a good level, but I will
probably use the first races to get my racing shape
up some levels. So hopefully you will see me jump
pretty far, but my rocket speed in the races ain't
firing up before the Olympics. So we'll only see
then if its good enough (laughs).