Fleten crossed the finish line in 1:37.6, ahead of Hanna Lodin of Sweden in second place, and 30 seconds ahead of Anikken Gjerde Alnæs of Norway in third.
It was tough from start to finish. At the start there were no tracks, so I ended up a little further back and felt like I had to fight.
Suddenly it became a dilemma that men's skiers were like an obstacle where I wanted to go fast, and I almost wanted to cry because I felt on all the slopes that it was just standing still, and that's where I had planned to attack. And then I knew that our goal was to have the best skis at the start and I felt that I couldn't take advantage of that, says Fleten, who despite the tough start finished clearly first among all the women.
“Started to doubt”
This is the third time the 33-year-old has won Vasaloppet; she also won in 2023 and 2024.
At the start of the race, snow fell, making conditions difficult. Nothing scared Fleten, who told SVT that she “loved” this kind of weather.
I started to have doubts on the hill when there was such chaos. We were riding at the same time as the men and suddenly people fell and there was chaos - that's when you don't love it. It was especially when you were riding with the men's field that was going so slowly, she says.
Lodin the best Swede
Fleten also won the Italian long-distance classic Marcialonga in January. That race is 45 kilometers.
The best Swede was Hanna Lodin in second place.
Right now I'm mostly just completely exhausted, but I'm so happy.
"It's the biggest thing you can win, and it's a strong Emilie Fleten who dominated us today. But it's huge, that's it. It's the biggest thing for me," says Lodin about her podium finish.
Ending career
Teammate Anikken Gjerde Alnæs was third in her last Vasalopp.
"It will be my last season this year and I think it is a nice end to this career. I will try to enjoy the last races. I enjoyed Vasaloppet today," she says.
Last year's winner Stina Nilsson came fifth, just over four minutes behind Fleten.
I love Vasaloppet. Now I didn't have the same fantastic race as last year of course, but a fantastic race regardless. Today we had a completely different type of weather, it's nice to be at the finish after all these hours, says Nilsson.
It's a fantastic event and I'd love to come back next year.
