Dec 23 (Reuters) - Norwegian biathlete Johan-Olav Botn is looking to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot and eight-times Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and will seek his advice in dealing with an unusual medical condition they share.
The 26-year-old Botn, who has enjoyed an outstanding World Cup season and heads into the new year in the yellow leader's jersey, often finishes races with large amounts of mucus and saliva around his mouth, just as the now retired Bjoerndalen used to do.
“I’ll take every comparison with Bjoerndalen I can get. If that includes drooling, I’ll take that too,” Botn told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Tuesday.
"People usually do not notice that I wipe myself two or three times during the race, but I still look like this when I cross the finish line. There is a pretty heavy mucus production going on.
“I actually meant to ask Bjoerndalen about it... He struggled a lot with the same thing himself, but eventually got it under control, so I’ll ask him what he did."
Bjoerndalen, who won 14 Olympic medals and has been nicknamed "King of Biathlon," is impressed by Botn.
"He uses his lungs in an absolutely exceptional way. When it is cold, it is easy for mucus to build up in your mouth and lungs and things like that. I struggled with the same issue myself," Bjoerndalen said.
"Aesthetically it is very ugly, but when you are an athlete you have one goal in mind, to get from A to B as fast as possible.
“It is good to see a proper Viking who really pushes himself and does not care too much about the aesthetic side. After a while you do get some stick for looking like a little pig,” Bjoerndalen added.
Botn should be a strong medal contender at the February 6–22 Olympics, co-hosted by Milan and the Alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
(Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
