A knee injury and a fractured tibia spoiled the last two seasons. This year Sandra Näslund is back on the ski cross courses - and has dominated.
The 29-year-old's success in the World Cup has made the star Sweden's biggest individual gold medal hope ahead of the Olympics in Italy.
And it's a label she embraces, appreciates, and understands very well.
"Want to be"
Given the results I've achieved, it's reasonable that I am.
I'm going to be a gold medalist. I want to be. And it's clear that I'm going to Italy to fight for the gold.
The comeback in the World Cup has been absolutely brilliant. Sandra Näslund won outright in Val Thorens and showed that the success was no coincidence as she was the fastest the following day. The third victory came in Switzerland. She travels to the Olympics with the results: 1–1–1–3–1–1–4–25–4, which is better than anyone else in the large Swedish squad that will be chasing medals in Italy.
To find equally big gold favorites, you have to look to the women's cross-country relay and sprint relay.
The situation is not new for Näslund, however. She was the gold favorite in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018 and also four years later in Beijing.
The result then?
Fourth - and Olympic gold.
In Livigno she is looking to defend the medal she won in China.
It's difficult, especially with the Olympics, which only happen every four years, and there's a lot of excitement around it. We in ski cross have a chance, a day when everything will be right.
Hopefully, I've learned to handle it reasonably well.
“Regular competition”
What tricks do you have for managing everything that happens?
It's about not making it too big of a deal, seeing it as a regular competition. It's the same opposition as usual and the same conditions. You have to be first down the hill.
As mentioned, Sandra Näslund knows what it's like to win Olympic gold and recognizes the emotions that suddenly appear then, but for her, victory in the overall World Cup is a greater achievement "when you've been better over a longer period of time."
It's something I value incredibly highly.
Anders Wallin/TT
Facts: Sandra Näslund
TT
Born: July 6, 1996 in Kramfors.
Club: Kramfors.
Sport: Ski cross.
Olympics: 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026.
Selected achievements: Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2022, four World Cup gold medals, won the overall World Cup four times.
Current: One of Sweden's biggest gold hopes at the Italian Olympics.
