Gustaf Berglund was initially not selected for the World Championship team, but had to settle for a spot as a reserve.
Something he was not particularly pleased with before the championship.
It sucks. I'm disappointed and angry, said Berglund to Aftonbladet during the Swedish Championship week.
But when Edvin Anger withdrew from the 50km event, the chance suddenly arose anyway for the 26-year-old. And he took it.
Berglund was the second-best Swede, after silver medalist Poromaa, in eighth place. When he crossed the finish line, he threw up his poles in pure joy. In the TV interview directly after, he couldn't hold back tears.
There are 200 feelings running through my body. I set a goal in the spring to try to become top ten in the World Championship 50km in Trondheim. And then when I crossed the finish line as number eight, it's an enormous feeling of satisfaction, he says.
But Berglund didn't want to send any messages to the national team management, despite being initially dropped from the team and responding by becoming the second-best Swede.
I'm not thinking much about that. I'm just happy that I got to compete and become top ten. That's all I could dream of. I say like Alvar (Myhlback, after the Vasaloppet victory) said: Now I can die happy.
