Barbro Kvaale (NOR) collected no less than four gold medals – out of four possible – during the 2011 FIS Rollerski World Championships in Aure/Kristiansund (NOR) August 9-13. That was more than expected for the Madshus racer.
Kvaale started with a solid win in the 10.8-kilometer classic hill climb in Aure on August 9, where she beat the next racer by more than half a minute. In the 17-kilometer skate distance on August 10, she earned the gold in a four-way sprint finish where she dropped her competitors with only a couple of hundred meters to go.
Then, on August 12, she anchored the Norwegian women to a relay gold in the 3×3.7-kilometer city center team sprint in Kristiansund.
“To be able to ski across the finish with the Norwegian flag in hand, that´s something I have always dreamt about doing,” Kvaale said.
And to top off the week, knowing that roller ski sprints were never her biggest strength, Kvaale won the gold medal in the 200-meter sprint in Kristiansund on August 13.
“I didn´t expect the gold. I didn´t think I would win today. I only did it for fun, and I enjoyed the whole race. Everything was great, the weather, the spectators and the course,” Kvaale said to Madshus.com after the race.