The World Ski Championships

Published: 09.03.11

Omega was present when Norway secured several gold medals in Holmenkollen during the World Ski Championships. In beautiful sunshine among the festive crowds of spectators, team members would get an experience for a lifetime.

The Norwegians were dominant both in and next to the ski trails the last days of the championships when Omega team members joined the greatest sporting event of the year in Oslo March 04. – 06. The program for the weekend offered many of the most exciting championship events, a stay at wonderful Royal Christiania Hotel and an exclusive night with a grand menu in the VIP tent in «Kollen».

Northug got the gold

Friday was still a foggy day in Holmenkollen when Omega joined the audience. But the team had superb seats with a good view of both ski trails and royalty on the stadium, when the Realy for men began, after the Large Hill team ski jumping.

«The fog did not bother us where we sat. We saw everything from our zone on the tribune, from the preparation before the run, till the home stretch in the end. The excitement was intense during the entire run, untill Peter Northug stepped across the finishing line and secured the Norwegians their gold» says Jan Roger Haugen, who cheered the golden boys ahead along with the rest of the Omega team.

In the evening enormous crowds awaited the medal ceremonies at Universitetsplassen in Oslo. The Omega-team followed the spectacle from a tent nearby.

«There were such enormous crowds of people, and almost impossible to see the stage. We watched the ceremony from a screen in our tent, and with the crowds and atmosphere just outside, it was almost like being there anyway» says Haugen.

Johaug`s gold run

The atmosphere grew even higher when Omega was in place to cheer ahead the women on their 30 km run on Saturday, after a better lunch in the VIP-tent.

«We got to experience the run from great seats near the royal tribune, with an excellent view of the home stretch. The run was a piece of cake for the Norwegians, and it was clear pretty early in the run that the gold was Therese Johaug`s. But the speakers at the stadium entertained us the entire time, and we had a wonderful afternoon drinking cocoa in the beautiful sunlight with happy people all around us» says Camilla Berg who with the rest of the Omega team also cheered in Brazilian Mirlene Picin as the very last of the women crossing the finishing line.

After Joahug and Marit Bjørgen secured Norway the two top medals, and gave the audience one of the most memorable moments of the championships, it was time for a much more aerial experience. The Omega team watched the Norwegians get the silver medal in ski jumping in large hill for men, but the event was cancelled midway because of difficult windy conditions. Still, it was an unforgettable experience, says Berg.

«The Ski jump was a pretty surreal experience. We did not see the ski jumpers on the top of the hill, they just came flying down one after another. It was a lot of fun and we actually didn`t register that the second half of the ski jump got cancelled.»

Later that night the VIP-tent in Holmenkollen was reserved for the Omega team, and a three course dinner awaited including smoked trout and reindeer.

Exicting five miles

The last day of the championships would give the audience the most exciting event of the entire weekend, when Northug took off on the five mile run Sunday afternoon.

«We could see the skiers coming down the so called «Hellner Hill» and run the stretch until the finishing line. We were stiff with fear and almost couldn`t breathe because of all the excitement. It was so close between the skiers in front; one moment we thought we secured the gold, and in the next we didn`t think we would get any medal at all. When some of the runners fell close to the home stretch, people in the audience almost broke down in despair since they thought it was Northug that went down. But when we saw him getting ahead before the finishing line, the audience were ecstatic. We were jumping, screaming, hugging each other and crying all at once, says Berg. »

The amazing five mile run marked the end for most of the participants at the Omega teambuilding, and even the least ski enthusiastic members got an experience for life.

«I`ve never cared much about ski sports, but this is something will never forget. I actually got a brand new view on skiing after this» is Jan Roger Haugen`s conclusion after the festive sporting weekend with Omega in Holmenkollen.

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