One of the most award-winning skiers in history, Petter Nortug, is the hero of a drug scandal. The two-time Olympic champion and 13-time world champion shared his misadventures on Instagram.
“I made a big mistake. Last night I was stopped by the police at the speed control. I was driving too fast and was taken to the emergency room for a blood test. In addition, the police found a small amount of drugs in my home. It's about cocaine. I am upset and afraid of what the future will bring, and incredibly sorry for all those I have now disappointed again. I know this will now be a criminal case. I will take responsibility for what I have done ”, - quotes the athlete Sports.ru.
View this post on Instagram
Posted by Petter Northug Jr (@ jantelov1) Aug 14, 2020 1:15 am PDT
On the evening of 13 August, Nortug was detained by the police on the E6 in Ullensaker. On that day he was returning home from Trysil, where he taught at a summer ski school. According to local media reports, the former athlete was driving his Jaguar at 168 km / h on a section where traffic is allowed at a speed of 110 km / h. The police sent the skier to the emergency room for a blood test and confiscated the driver's license.
When traces of cocaine were found in Northug's body, his home in Oslo was searched, the press notes. There, local police officers found a drug, its quantity is not specified. The police stressed that the skier is assisting the investigation, which should be completed in the coming days.
Northug now faces imprisonment. Under current Norwegian laws, he can go to jail for speeding more than 50 kilometers per hour alone. An aggravating circumstance is that he is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. At the same time, Northug will not be punished for possessing cocaine. If it is found that he kept illegal substances at home without the purpose of selling, he can only be prescribed compulsory drug treatment.
Escaping a prison sentence for Northug will also be difficult because in the past he has already been convicted of drunk driving. On May 4, 2014, two months after the unsuccessful Olympics in Sochi, the athlete crashed his car while intoxicated. The passenger who was with Nortug broke his collarbone. The skier tried to escape from the scene of the accident, but was discovered by the police and detained.
Six months later, Nortug was sentenced to imprisonment for 50 days and deprivation of a driver's license for five years, as well as a fine of 185 thousand crowns (612 thousand rubles at the current exchange rate. - RT ). Interestingly, after this incident, Northug managed to restart his sports career and win four gold medals at the 2015 World Championships, but then his results began to decline, and in 2018 he retired from the sport.
For cross-country skiing, Nortug is a cult figure. Even after the end of his career, he remains one of the most popular skiers in Norway, with which active athletes are compared. He was equally good in the sprint and in the 50-kilometer races and often won victories even when, it would seem, he was hopelessly losing to his rivals. Northug was also known for his scandalous behavior off the piste and conflicts with the Norwegian Ski Federation. Because of them, the athlete even threatened to transfer to the Russian national team, but did not take real steps for this.
The coach of the Russian national skiing team, Yuri Borodavko, expressed regret that Nortug began to use drugs and is suspected of breaking the law. He noted that the athlete is still a role model for other skiers.
“This is very unpleasant news. It is very unfortunate that people of such a high level, the idols of many thousands of sports fans, follow the path of drugs. Let's hope he has no disease, no addiction. This would simply undermine the credibility of Northug himself. I would like to expect that everything will be done without a prison, perhaps it will be a fine or correctional labor, "Wartko told RIA Novosti.
Olympic champion Alexander Legkov said that Northug used to lead a hectic lifestyle. He wished the former rival to cope with all the problems and come back to the competition.
“I'm worried about Petya. A young guy, no wife or children. Swagger. Lifestyle, like from that movie: "I want halva, I want - gingerbread." I did not despise Petter. I respect Northug as an athlete, as a person and as a friend - if he considers me to be one. I'm interesting and fun with him. If he comes next year to the Legkov Race, I will gladly accept him. Seriously, I wish Petya the best of luck. Hope he can handle it. Let it be swaggering, but not to that extent, "Sport-Express quotes Legkov.