Petter Northug's status in his native Norway is such that even King Harald V is kept waiting these days.
After Northug easily won the opening race of the Norwegian championships this month - yet one more display of the kind of dominance that has made him cross-country skiing's biggest name going into the Vancouver Olympics - he held up the awards ceremony by 15 minutes to complete his winding-down regiment, even though the king was there to offer congratulations.
When Northug finally arrived for the ceremony, a journalist pointed out that he was making the monarch wait for an unseemly long time.
``No,'' Northug replied, flashing his usual mischievous smile. ``The king is walking right here.''
Such a line would perhaps be seen as insolent if it were delivered by someone else, but the 24-year-old Northug is indeed turning into sports royalty in ski-crazed Norway, where expectations are massive that the former farm boy will turn the Vancouver Games into a one-man show.
Northug had his major breakthrough at last year's world championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, where he used his unrivaled sprinting ability to take home three gold medals. Going into his first Olympics, he is now under heavy pressure to firmly establish himself as Norway's biggest cross-country star since all-time great Bjorn Dahlie.
For a man who is as popular for his brash swagger and sometimes overconfident one-liners as he is for his skiing ability, Northug's own goals are somewhat modest.
``If I get one gold I'll be happy,'' Northug told reporters before leaving for a training camp in the United States. ``Everything has to work out if you are to win in the Olympics. You can't just go there and collect golds to bring home.''
That doesn't stop about 4.8 million Norwegians from expecting him to do just that.
There are six men's cross-country events in Vancouver, and many experts think Northug has a legitimate shot at winning at least half of them.
That's despite the fact that only one of the individual races really suits his main weapon - an explosive final sprint that is unmatched by any other long-distance skier and makes him nearly unbeatable in mass-start freestyle races.
In such events, Northug can simply tag along behind other skiers and let them do the hard work up front, only to blow by them shortly before the finish. That's exactly what he did in Liberec, where he decided the 30K skiathlon pursuit, the team relay and the 50K freestyle race in identical fashion.
In neighboring Sweden, skiing fans are so tired of seeing Northug win race after race that they started a Facebook group where each member pledges to donate 100 kronor (about $15) to any Swede who beats the Norwegian in a sprint at the Olympics. So far, the group has more than 1,300 members.
In Vancouver, however, the marquee 50K race will be held in the classical style, where Northug's finish isn't as explosive. Still, that's the event any cross-country skier would most like to win, and Northug said he might skip the individual sprint - also held in the classical style - to save his energy for the showcase event.
``The skiathlon is my favorite distance, but to win the 50K would probably rank even higher,'' said Northug, who holds a massive lead in the overall World Cup standings.
There are plenty of skiers eager to show up the Norwegian in Vancouver, with the Czech Republic's Lukas Bauer leading the charge.
Bauer climbed to second in the World Cup standings after showing at the Tour de Ski this month that Northug is beatable with the right tactics. While the Norwegian held a slim overall lead throughout most of the competition - which features eight races over 10 days and counts toward the World Cup standings - Bauer showed superior endurance in pulling away from his rival long before the final stretch in each of the last two events.
In the last race, Bauer made his move in the last grueling uphill climb and immediately opened up a 10-second gap, which grew to more than a minute and left Northug collapsed on all fours after crossing the finish line, gasping for air.
``Petter is very, very strong in the sprint, but in the uphill I'm still a little bit stronger,'' Bauer said.
Bauer also has a point to prove after failing to win a gold medal at worlds, despite the home crowd.
``There are at least four races (at the Olympics) ahead of me, and I think I am capable of attacking the podium in all of them on condition I'm healthy,'' Bauer said. ``(Winning the Tour de Ski) is an enormous confidence boost for me. But I don't want to overestimate that. I'm happy now but everything could be different in a month at the Olympics. I'll do all I can to be able to fight with the best for a medal.''
Other top medal contenders include Sweden's Marcus Hellner, an unpredictable Russian team that could spring a few surprises and Dario Cologna of Switzerland, last year's overall World Cup winner who has struggled to show the same form and consistency this season.
Those names don't mean much in Norway, where Northug already is facing questions about how many Winter Games he'll need to match Dahlie's all-time record of eight gold medals.
Even Dahlie himself - who competed at the 1992, '94 and '98 Games - has said he believes Northug can beat the record.
No wonder, then, that not even King Harald minds a little tardiness. When the two finally did meet at that ceremony it was the monarch - not the skier - who took off his hat as a salute.
And the king, an avid sports fan, is likely to do it again in Canada.
``He was more excited,'' Northug said, ``about what's coming up in Vancouver.''
