Jonsson, a former Olympic silver medalist, expressed his enthusiasm for the role. "Cross-country skiing has meant a lot to me and I am passionate about the sport," he said in a press release. " His foremost athletic achievement is the silver medal in the 50 km event at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, where he finished just eight seconds behind Norway's Bjørn Dæhlie.
According to the International Ski Federation, Jonsson competed in four Olympics, also placing fourth in the relay and 10th in the pursuit at Nagano. He is remembered for nearly beating Dæhlie in that 50 km race, having started with number two while Dæhlie started with number three. Jonsson initially pulled away, but Dæhlie caught up after 21 km, and they skied together until Jonsson made a break at 47 km before Dæhlie ultimately prevailed.
Some accounts suggest Jonsson started 30 seconds ahead of Dæhlie and that Dæhlie finished 20 seconds behind him but still won gold, though the official margin remains eight seconds. Jonsson also competed in four World Championships between 1993 and 1999, with a best finish of fourth in the 50 km at his final championships in 1999. In the 1993 World Championships, he was 30th in the 30 km and sixth in the relay.
His World Cup career included four third-place finishes, and he was a three-time Swedish champion, winning titles in 1993 (15 km), 1996 (50 km), and 1999 (relay with Piteå Elit). After retiring in 2002, Jonsson studied economics at Luleå University of Technology, graduating in 2006, and then worked for SEB Banken, eventually becoming office manager and a member of the district management team. In 2013, he became CEO of ALMI North, a financing group.
He also served as an expert commentator for SVT. Born on May 31, 1969, in Piteå, Jonsson still lives there with his partner and three children, and he competed for Piteå Elit from 1990 to 2002. All competitive results are sourced from the International Ski Federation.
Ukraine's military carried out extensive overnight attacks on Russian infrastructure and energy facilities, according to The Kyiv Independent. At least three people were killed and twelve injured in an attack on Ryazan, about 200 km south of Moscow, Russian governor Pavel Malkov told state news agency Tass. Images on Russian Telegram channels showed large smoke clouds over the city after an oil refinery was hit.
One person was killed in a drone attack on the Belgorod border region, the regional governor said. Russia's defense ministry stated that 355 Ukrainian drones were shot down, including over Moscow. Ukraine's military has not commented on the reports.
The full extent of damage and casualties remains unclear.