Ebba Andersson's choice to skip the Lahti World Cup has generated controversy within the Swedish national team. According to national team manager Anders Byström, it is unfortunate that Andersson has chosen this path, as the management would have preferred a different decision. The national team wants skiers to compete in the World Cup and have the best team in place, but does not want to force anyone, Byström said. Andersson's decision gives someone else a chance to take a place in the team, though it remains unclear what specific long-distance race or event she is targeting after skipping Lahti.
Andersson's long-distance ambitions are well-documented, with her repeatedly saying she is tempted to race more long-distance events. She dominated the Ski Classics season finale weekend last spring, winning both Reistadløpet and Summit 2 Senja, and has been a frequent guest in Ski Classics at the end of seasons. Last year, she signed with Team Engcon, the Ski Classics Pro Team managed by Jørgen Ulvang, and during the summer and autumn, she skipped national team training camps in favor of training with the long-distance team in preparation for the Olympics. Her Olympic success includes three silver medals and one gold at the Olympics in Italy, and this year, she has nothing to do with the overall World Cup standings, further aligning with her long-distance focus.
It's an empty body.
Recently, Andersson became sick after the Olympic gold in the 50km in Val di Fiemme and skipped the latest weekend's World Cup competitions in Falun. Despite this, she bounced back to win the women's mass-start classic at the Swedish cross-country skiing championships in Borås, completing 20 kilometres in 59 minutes 25.9 seconds. In that race, she broke away from the pack in the fifth kilometre, accompanied by Emma Ribom, and then broke away alone in the eleventh kilometre. Emma Ribom took second place, more than a minute behind Andersson, while Moa Lundgren rounded off the podium, almost 3 minutes behind the winner.
The Swedish team for Lake Placid includes Ebba Andersson, Maja Dahlqvist, Frida Karlsson, Johanna Hagström, Moa Ilar, Emma Ribom, Jonna Sundling, Linn Svahn for women, and Gustaf Berglund, Erik Johansson, Anton Grahn, George Ersson, Truls Gisselman, Johan Ekberg, Leo Johansson, Eric Rosjö for men. However, several male skiers including William Poromaa, Calle Halfvarsson, and Edvin Anger have chosen to end their World Cup season and are not in the Lake Placid team. Jonna Sundling, William Poromaa, and Calle Halfvarsson returned to competition after illness, though Edvin Anger is still not fully recovered after the illness period after the Olympics and is skipping this weekend's competitions. The exact nature of the illness that affected these skiers, and how severe it is, has not been disclosed.
I have a job interview on Monday.
In Paralympic skiing, Inkki Inola won a silver medal in the 10 km classic but was eliminated in the semifinal of Tuesday's sprint. Inola competes in the NS3 class and skis largely without his guide Reetu Inkilä. According to TT/Sveriges paralympiska kommitté, whether a guide is required depends on classification: mandatory for NS1, allowed without for NS2 and NS3. The NS1-3 classification means a skier's vision is limited to less than sixty degrees diameter and/or static visual acuity of 0.9 or worse, with NS1 skiers being blind and competing with black glasses against NS2 and NS3 skiers with lesser visual impairments.
In World Cup action, Frida Karlsson won the 10 km classic in Lahti, beating Linn Svahn by over four seconds. Linn Svahn was ahead by a narrow second until six kilometers, then Karlsson accelerated, and Svahn laughed in the finish area after being beaten. On the men's side, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the 10km race in Lahti on Sunday, with Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget finishing second, 22.1 seconds behind Klæbo. Klæbo also won the men's sprint in Lahti ahead of Lars Heggen and Julez Chappaz, while Martin Kirkeberg Mørk withdrew from the 10km race in Lahti due to breathing issues, though the exact nature of these issues is unknown.
I want to resume work as a physiotherapist after focusing on skiing for the past two years.
In Drammen, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the sprint prologue, with Kristian Kollerud finishing sixth. Lars Heggen was eliminated in the sprint prologue in Drammen, and Julie Drivenes was also eliminated. Kristine Stavås Skistad won the last two World Cup sprints in Drammen in 2023 and 2024.
In Lahti sprint prologue results, Julie Drivenes qualified 30th, while Tiril Udnes Weng finished 31st and Lotta Udnes Weng finished 33rd, both eliminated. Julie Myhre was the best Norwegian, finishing eighth, and Jonna Sundling won the women's sprint prologue ahead of Linn Svahn and Johanna Hagström. However, the event saw disqualifications: Kristine Stavås Skistad was disqualified in the sprint semifinal for an illegal move, and Marcus Grate was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, though the specific actions leading to these disqualifications have not been detailed.
I went too slow.
In ski jumping, Daniel Tschofenig won the World Cup in Lahti on Saturday, with Marius Lindvik as the best Norwegian, finishing fifth. Isak Andreas Langmo had the longest jump of 130 meters in the second round. In Ski Classics, Torleif Syrstad won a race, his third victory, and also won the Birkebeinerrennet on Saturday, though he missed Petter Eliassen's 2015 record time of 2:19:28. Ole Jørgen Bruvoll finished second and Runar Skaug Mathisen third in the Birkebeinerrennet. Alvar Myhlback was in the chasing group with several Norwegians in the Ski Classics race, and Hanna Lodin finished third in Birkebeinerrennet, behind Anniken Gjerde Alnäs and Silje Öyre Slind.
Other notable cross-country results include William Poromaa finishing 45th in Lahti, 1:39 behind Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Sebastian Santiago Kildebo, adopted from Colombia, debuted in the World Cup in Drammen and finished 76th, and he will compete in the 50km race in Holmenkollen. In Formula 1, Max Verstappen crashed in the first round of qualifying in Melbourne and will start from the back, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli qualified first and second for the Australian Grand Prix. In Norwegian football, Lillestrøm defeated HamKam 2-0 in the cup match on Saturday.
I am more tempted to race a 50km individual start in Orsa and challenge myself in that format.