Karoline Knotten, Norway’s second best biathlete of the past season, was thrown out of the national team in mid -April. She has not completely digested the shock yet. The ski hunter continues to be annoyed by her coaches, who defends himself against the allegations.
“At first I was shocked, then I got angry. Now I’m just sorry,” said Karoline Knotten A few weeks after their surprising end in the Norwegian national biathlon national team towards “Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen”. The sting is still deep: “I just feel undesirable. It hurts.”
In mid -April, national coach Sverre Huber Kaas was informed that she was no longer part of the team. The reason: Kaas and knotters had different views when planning the season preparation. Team boss via Arne Botnan then said that the 30-year-old was not committed to the association’s plans “100 percent”.
An accusation that the knotters don’t want to leave. She only asked questions about the season preparation and expressed the wish to be able to make some adjustments.
“If the requirement is to just take part in a hundred percent, I would like to know what the philosophy is behind it. And why there is no scope for adjustments. I say nothing about what awaits me in a training plan,” said the second best Norwegian of the past biathlon winter: “It must be allowed to ask questions and to criticize and constructive criticism practice.”
Communication, Knotten followed up, was also “absolutely terrible”: “I don’t blame anyone except the coaches.”
Biathlon: Norway’s national coach defends himself against allegations
In his part, coach Kaas told “GD” how the case went. Adjustments to training plans are quite possible, the Norwegian emphasized. “But they have to be created if necessary”. The athletes would also have to “trust that good decisions will be made for each individual and the entire team”.
The trainer was then wanted to have another conversation with knotters, but it was the athlete who “did not want to speak to us afterwards,” said Kaas: “We want a close dialogue, because we look forward to having you with us this winter.”
Although Roger Grubben will be cared for in the future, knotters will meet Kaas and her former national team colleagues in the seasonal and Olympic preparation. However, the Norwegian still does not want to waste any thought: “I already have a lump in my stomach if I just think about it. Hopefully everything will go well and we deal professionally.”