British cross-country skier Andrew Musgrave has finally got his hands on a title at the Norwegian Championships, labelling the achievement among the greatest of his career to date.
Musgrave hit the headlines in Scandinavia last year when he finished second in the 15km time trial at the Norwegian Championships however he wasn’t awarded the silver medal.
At the Norwegian Championships foreigners are not eligible to win a national title however Musgrave wasn’t to be denied this year as he teamed up with home skier Martin Johnsrud Sundby.
In team events, in which a Norwegian club is represented, a foreigner is allowed to be included with Musgrave and Sundby going on to dominate the team sprint.
They were the winners of the fastest semi-final heat to head into the final as favourites where they lived up to their billing by taking gold by 14 seconds.
The 23-year-old represented Team GB at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and impressed in the Tour de Ski this season, finishing 11th in the sprint stage on New Year’s Day.
And Musgrave told a Norwegian television station, fluently in the national language, how the victory was up there with his best ever performances.
“It was fun. It was fun to go with great atmosphere and a lot of audience. It was great to win the championship gold, I can safely say,” said Musgrave.
“Yes [I have dreamed about this for a long time]. I have done since I came to Norway four years ago. It is the goal for all who come and go race in Norway. It’s the biggest one can be.
“He’s [Martin] a real good guy, and it was just fun to go with him.”
© Sportsbeat 2013