Cross-country skiing: time to choose for Sweden
Zero medals, a missed relay and lingering doubts about the waxing: with two races to go before the end of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games (team sprint and 50km), Swedish cross-country skiing has its back to the wall. In the Aftonbladet podcast, journalist Anna Rydén talks about “an open wound that will take time to heal”. However, she moderates: “The atmosphere between the management and the athletes seems fine. The real work starts now: analysing what went wrong.
First job: the equipment. The gaps conceded, sometimes of several minutes in the relay, cannot be explained by physical condition alone. “We have to pinpoint the problem. Otherwise, we won’t be up to scratch next time”, she warns.
The roadmap for the sprint team is clear: “Regain confidence in a short format”. Rely on finishers who can accelerate quickly, simplify tactics and control emotions.
There remains the big question of the 50 km: should Alvar Myhlback be recalled? Sent home, the long-distance specialist is a divisive figure. ” In principle, I’d like to see him try his luck,” admits our colleague. But she points out that the last Olympic race for cross-country skiers – eight demanding, fast-paced laps, with no long climbs to stall out – is not like the Ski Classics marathons.
Winner of the Vasaloppet in 2023, one of the youngest ever, Anders Myhlback is a pure long-distance endurance specialist. “Recalling it might give a boost, but if it’s just a symbol, it won’t solve anything on the track. If it is recalled, it must be for clear sporting reasons.”
Anna Rydén concludes: “In the short term, we need to field the athletes who are most ready. In the medium term, we need to carry out an in-depth analysis of our preparation, equipment and sporting choices.
