Johannes Klæbo comments on the death of Sivert Bakken.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is one of Norway’s best skiers. Pasi Liesimaa
On Tuesday, December 23, the world received sad news when a 27-year-old Norwegian biathlete Sivert Bakken was found dead in his hotel room in Lavaze, northern Italy.
When found, Bakken was wearing a training mask on his face, which is used to limit oxygen intake and is used to simulate high-altitude training.
Cross-country star Johannes Klæbo said a Norwegian newspaper for VGthat he has no experience or knowledge of the masks of a high place.
– I’ve never heard of something like this before and I haven’t used it myself. I don’t have an opinion on that, Klæbo stated to the newspaper and said that he would leave the discussion on the subject to others and that he himself would now only focus on the Tour de Ski.
VG’s According to the report, the mask found on Bakken’s face was adjusted to the conditions at 7,000 meters above sea level, where the oxygen content of the air is very low.
At this time, it is not clear whether the height of the mask was set by Bakken himself, nor is it certain whether the use of the mask is directly related to the athlete’s death.
Norway’s elite sports unit Olympiatoppen issued temporary instructions on Friday, according to which artificial high-altitude training methods should not be used until more information is available.
Head coach of the Norwegian national team Per Elias Kalfoss told a Norwegian newspaper that he has no information about the use of high-altitude masks in cross-country skiing, neither in the Norwegian team nor in other countries. He has held various roles in the Norwegian Skiing Association since 1998 and has also been a special expert for anti-doping in Norway.
The investigation into Bakken’s death is still ongoing.
Sivert Bakken died on December 23rd. Kimmo Brandt / EPA / AOP