One by one, the selected five-mile runners pass the Swedish press corps. Everyone assures that they are fine. But two are missing.
– He felt a little runny when he woke up, but we still decided he should try skiing this morning. Then he feels that his body is not reacting, that he has an infection, says national team doctor Rickard Noberius about William Poromaa.
Even Frida Karlsson has a slightly runny nose. But while the men’s five-mile course takes place on Saturday, the women’s first race is on Sunday, so there is some hope that the symptoms will subside.
– We have to take it hour by hour, says Noberius.
The doctor sounds a little hopeful nevertheless and points out that the symptoms did not worsen over the course of Friday.
– Now we relieve her symptoms as much as possible. But unfortunately we don’t have a miracle cure. So if it’s a virus, we can’t make it go away.
The final decision will be made by Frida Karlsson herself together with Rickard Noberius. But if the symptoms persist, even if they are milder, he believes there is no point in starting.
– This is a difficult track and conditions will be extremely difficult on Sunday. That one to two percent performance hit is enough to put you in the results list where you don’t want to be. Frida doesn’t even have this leeway.
During the Olympics have Several drivers became ill. Truls Gisselman went home with a cold, as did Linn Svahn. Rickard Noberius cannot say how the infection came in. Both he and national team manager Anders Byström and all skaters say the same thing:
– We were very close. The riders only met their relatives outdoors at a distance, says Noberius.
“We took all the measures we could and then it still happens,” says Byström.
– We have a large dining room where we could spread out and sit in practically every corner and still have a dialogue and have a good time. That’s why we tried to keep the safe distances we could, but it’s difficult to defend ourselves against these invisible, flying viruses, says Johan Häggström.
At the same time it says Both he and Jonna Sundling said they not only got to know each other, but also other drivers, executives and journalists.
“I think we’re doing very well in terms of distancing, masking, etc., but it’s not a bubble that’s flawless,” Sundling said.
Poromaa’s absence means Sweden will field just three men in Saturday’s five-mile race: Gustaf Berglund, Calle Halfvarsson and Johan Häggström. The same may also apply to the women’s race, with only the trio Ebba Andersson, Jonna Sundling and Emma Ribom competing. There are no more reserves in Italy.
Anders Byström says that it obviously doesn’t feel good not to be competing with a full team.
– We still have runners left in the women’s team who can perform well on Sunday. For men, the classic sports cliché is that we have everything it takes to win when no one believes in us. What I said is that we should ride with the flag on our chest and really fight.
Calle Halfvarsson saw how William Poromaa struggled in training. He didn’t know his national teammate had woken up with a cold – Poromaa had stayed on his side – but he sensed something was wrong.
– It’s going to be an exciting night here and I hope I wake up healthy tomorrow. I’m going to stay in the room and go downstairs and eat and then go back to the room and just isolate myself.
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