After the upcoming World Cup season, Moa Ilar wants to take a new step in life. She hopes to become a mother.
"I've done several major championships and been able to ski at the highest level for several years, I've loved that. But I'm getting older, I'll be 30 next year, so I'm starting to long for a different part of life," she says.
“Awesome to see”
She hasn't decided whether starting a family means the end of her elite career. But another athlete has just shown that it is at least possible to become a mother and return to the absolute top of the world.
Swimming queen Sarah Sjöström went from giving birth to winning two European Championship medals, one of them gold, in less than a year.
It's awesome to see, incredibly impressive what she's done. Maybe not many people have done it, but it's proven to work and it's inspiring. It's an exciting thought, for sure, says Moa Ilar.
Dreaming of a medal in Falun
But before it's time for family life, the goal is to win a medal at the home World Championships in Falun.
I'm pretty much here and now, I'm focusing on the training I'm going to do today. But it's clear that I'm looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere at Lugnet and winning a medal.
Last season, Moa Ilar started strongly in the World Cup but then failed to reach Olympic form. But changing the plan for the World Cup is not an option.
There were other factors that meant I didn't take that medal. For me, competing a lot drives my form, it's been that way since I was little. There were many who thought I should have rested more, but it works for me. So, in general, the plan will be the same for this championship.
Born: July 6, 1997 (age 28), in Järna in Vansbro municipality.
Family: Husband Fredrik Ilar.
Club: Falun-Borlänge SK.
World Cup debut: January 26, 2019.
Main individual achievements: Three individual World Cup victories, three second places and three third places.
Jamina Roberts, handball: Sweden's most capped women's national team player played a match in the handball league just 45 days after having her first child in 2020.
Therese Alshammar, swimming: In 2013, she gave birth to her son Fred and paused her elite career. A year and a half after giving birth, she was back in the competition pool and launched a successful Olympic bid for Rio 2016, where she became the first female swimmer to compete in a sixth Olympics.
Elin Rubensson, football: National team star and BK Häcken player Elin Rubensson had her first child in December 2020. Three months later she was back in training with the club team and has since won Swedish Championship gold, been awarded the Diamond Ball and played in both the World Cup and European Championship with Sweden. She became a mother again in March 2026.
