One who really knows what it means is Charlotte Kalla. The legend was struck by heart palpitations during the World Championship premiere in Ruka 2016.
I couldn't understand what was happening, she says to SVT.
Kalla struggled through the race nine years ago and finished 75th in the mile race.
Afterwards, she made sure to quickly get examined by specialist doctors in Stockholm. There, they determined that it was a case of atrial fibrillation.
The heart is incredibly central, but I never got particularly scared. The fact that I quickly got to do thorough examinations meant a lot, says Kalla to SVT.
Even if you can't make a diagnosis, there are several diseases you can rule out. It makes you calmer that it's not about something more serious. For me, it hasn't repeated itself after that World Championship competition in Ruka, which I'm incredibly grateful for.
Ribom is one of four Swedish women competing in this afternoon's classical World Championship mile in Trondheim.
