Stina Nilsson has taken both Olympic Games gold and World Championship gold in cross-country skiing. Then she switched to biathlon, where she managed to take a European Championship bronze.
Now the 31-year-old is changing tracks again and becomes a long-distance skier in Ski Classics, in the team Team Ragde Charge.
Emilie Fleten, the reigning champion in the long-distance tour, thinks that Nilsson's entry into the tour is good for both the sport and herself.
I think it will be very good to have Stina in Ski Classics. We get a new very strong girl in the competitions. I think it's good for me too, then I'll feel that I need to improve all my skills, says Fleten and continues:
I know Stina well and I know her strengths. I see her as one of my biggest competitors. It will be very fun to compete against her.
Even David Nilsson, founder and CEO of Ski Classics, looks positively on Stina Nilsson's investment in the long-distance tour.
It's a big name. It's very fun that she sees the challenge in long-distance. Stina is a very special athlete. There aren't many like her, says David Nilsson.
He emphasizes that it normally takes several seasons before skiers with Stina Nilsson's background can switch and make an impact in the competition in long-distance.
But I'm sure that Stina will do many good competitions and that she will reach the podium during this winter.
Magnar Dalen, team manager for Team Ragde Charge, tells that Nilsson has been struggling with several minor injuries during the preseason.
She has had pains in her hands and back. But we are very used to that you get in the beginning. It has been intense to try to get her not to train too hard, so the injuries don't develop into long-term injuries, says Dalen and adds that Stina Nilsson has been on the edge sometimes.
We don't know – and Stina doesn't know – what she can do in competitions. Therefore, it will be very exciting to see what level she can show in the weekend.
Ski Classics' first competition is held in Bad Gastein, Austria, in the weekend.
Born: June 24, 1993 in Malung.
Lives: in Malung with her partner.
Main merits: Five Olympic Games medals in cross-country skiing, including Olympic Games gold in 2018 in sprint.
Seven World Championship medals in cross-country skiing, including two World Championship golds in 2019 in sprint relay and relay.
European Championship bronze in biathlon 2023 in mixed relay.
Bad Gastein, December 14-15
3 Zinnen Ski Marathon, January 11
La Venosta, January 12
Engadin La Diagonela, January 18
Marcialonga, January 26
Jizerská50, February 9
Grönklitt, February 15-16
Vasaloppet, March 2
Birkebeinerrennet, March 15
Marcialonga, March 22
Reistadløpet, March 29
Summit 2 Senja, March 30
