Kristine Stavås Skistad has been the single biggest threat to Swedish sprint dominance on the women's side over the past year. This weekend, the 25-year-old cross-country star is competing in her first race after being forced to undergo a stomach operation at the beginning of November.
I'm grateful to be here, she says at a press conference ahead of the World Cup competitions in Lillehammer.
I must admit it's been tough, but I feel like I've gotten through it.
Saturday's World Cup sprint is the second of the season. In the premiere in Finnish Ruka, Sweden won through Johanna Hagström, with Maja Dahlqvist in third place.
Kristine Stavås Skistad took five World Cup victories last year and was on the podium a total of eleven times. But she's unsure if she can challenge at the top already now.
My form isn't at its peak, but my head is. So I have hopes.
She doesn't want to say exactly what the operation was for. But says at the same time that she only missed three-four weeks of training, and that she's now back fully.
No one believed I'd be able to compete before Christmas, so I'm very happy to be back.
