– What can you say? I am very happy. It went beyond all expectations, Andreassen told NRK after his senior NM debut.

The 17-year-old freshman finished 5th in the sprint and sixth in the 10 kilometer freestyle in Gjøvik. Now she will fight for medals at the World Junior Championships and, en route to Canada, she receives accolades from Therese Johaug.

– Oh, that’s really nice. I have to take with me all the advice I can get and all the inspiration and positive things that are said.

There are no surprising secrets hidden behind success. She increased the number of training hours to 700 per year, a high number for such a young athlete. Coach Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes describes her as an extremely dedicated athlete.

– I changed the amount of training a bit. I train a lot in speed, strength and take long walks, says Andreassen, and thinks she’s been successful with the program so far.

Johaug’s advice: Listen to your loved ones

The young talent is still a bigger topic of conversation in the cross country environment than in the national media, but has been warned by the coaching staff that much will be written and thought about what she should do if it continues to develop. NRK cross-country expert Johaug has personally seen how much pressure increases when you drill at a young age:

– Many will say: “You have to do this, you have to do your thing, you have to do this”. She must trust what brought her to where she is today and listen to those close to her.

The Olympic Queen was thrilled with what the 17-year-old showed at the national championships in Gjøvik. The junior appeared fearless, attacking and hugely promising. In the Norwegian Cup against older juniors, she was one minute faster than the next a few weeks ago. Next week, she is a medal contender – if not a favorite – at the Junior World Championships in Whistler, Canada.

– Let her be a junior!

Now it’s all about preserving the joy of the sport and hurrying slowly to take the next steps, according to Johaug.

– Let her be a junior when she’s a junior! Yes, she can go to senior races and compete in a senior world championship if she is good enough, but she has to follow her team until junior age. That might be the best advice I can give him. Don’t rush into an elite team.

Few people know as much as the 34-year-old when it comes to breaking through at a young age. Almost overnight, she became a national hero when, at 18, she became the youngest ever medalist after winning bronze in the 30 kilometer race.

When asked what’s the key to continuing to grow and mastering the transition from junior to senior – as she did herself – she says it’s wise not to succumb to the temptation to jump. age groups:

– You still go to school, you can’t handle the total training load. She should follow her scale of development, so that she can, for example, lead with the elders at certain gatherings when she is ready for it.

Johaug spent many years building the foundation that led to the busy training diary. She cautions against taking too big steps in a short time at a young age. The pitfalls are many. She remembers both the surprise, the joy and the feeling of mastery – but also how it contributed to slightly heavier shoulders.

The impression she was left with was that she had to constantly copy he the performance of the WCs of Sapporo 2007.

– I thought everyone around me expected me to win all the races. Then you are disappointed because you come in 10th place, which is really great, but you constantly compare yourself to the best you have done, says the current NRK expert.

Must slow down during training

The promising 17-year-old is coached by Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes, a former junior world champion and World Sprint Championship runner-up. The former national team rider thinks her most important job is to retain the youngster:

– She is so strong-willed and eager to train that it can quickly become too much. It’s a job to keep up with and slow it down from time to time. She really just wants to drive and drive. But if you do it too long, the body will say stop. As a junior you don’t know it so well yourself, Gjeitnes tells NRK.

Andreassen is described by the coach as an athlete who gets the job done. Gjeitnes says it’s important that she learns to make her own choices and become an independent athlete – something she proved from afar in the NM final.

– She makes a lot of good reviews and choices herself, but there are tips along the way. As a junior, you haven’t experienced much. I use what I’ve been through through ups and downs and try to teach him that. Some things work, some don’t.

PS! You can watch Milla Grosberghaugen Andreassen’s run in the Junior World Championship on NRK. See sidebar for an overview of the entire Norwegian team sent to Whistler in Canada.