Cross-country skiing: Mathis Desloges among the outsiders in Norway
Just over a year ago, on the slopes of Planica (Slovenia), Mathis Desloges became U23 world champion in mass-start skateboarding. This Saturday, in Trondheim (Norway), the native of the Isère region will reach a new milestone in his young career when he takes part in the world cross-country skiing championships, this time in the senior category.
Lining up at the start of the skiathlon, the first distance event of this 2025 edition, the member of the Villard-de-Lans sports club (Isère) doesn’t want to travel to Scandinavia just to be a spectator. Nordic Magazine spoke to the 22-year-old cross-country skier ahead of his eagerly-awaited debut at the heart of this global event.
- Can you briefly tell us what you’ve been doing over the last few weeks between the World Cup events and training?
I did fall ill after the Tour de Ski. So the first objective was to recover from the flu. But it took a while. The block that included the stages in Les Rousses, the Engadine and Cogne went pretty well after that. There weren’t that many races, so it gave me a chance to train again because I hadn’t had time to do that after the tour.
We then had around ten days before the weekend in Falun. I was able to do a big block of training for the Worlds at home. We did another block of training during the ten days before the world championships, with the aim of building up my form as much as possible before the first races.
- Were these World Championships one of your major objectives for the 2024/2025 winter?
It was the big goal of the season. We’ve all ticked it off our agendas. So when you see the official selection for these world championships, it’s obviously very good news. Now we’re going to have to rise to the occasion and be as fit as possible.
“Long distances used to work well for me”.Mathis Desloges at Nordic Magazine
- Which races will you be entering?
I’m going to do the skiathlon and the 50-kilometre skate. As for the rest, I haven’t decided yet. I’ve already done two skiathlons this winter and each time I’ve made it into the final pack to play for some good places. It’s a format that suits me well. I’m going there with great ambitions.
- The 50 km also has a special place in the history of your sport…
For the 50 kilometres, it will be the last event of the Worlds and the long distances have suited me well in the past. We can think big. It’s a legendary race to do at the world championships. I think it’s bound to be a great race in Trondheim. There are going to be a lot of people in a great stadium and with quality infrastructures.
- Are you happy with the track?
As far as the track is concerned, it’s a real World Cup course. It’s very strong with some nice bumps but also a nice finish with a big bend to negotiate. It’s a great track which I really like and which will be up to the challenge of the event.
“The aim is to leapfrog stages and aim high”.Mathis Desloges at Nordic Magazine
- You are firmly established in the top 15 of the overall World Cup rankings. How do you feel about travelling to Norway?
Of course, I’m not going there to discover anything. Just as since the start of the World Cup season, the aim is to jump stages and aim high. I’m realising race after race that I can play up front or that I have the ability to do so. Now I think it’s going to come down to positioning, the final package, sprinting and so on. It’s things like that that can make the race take a completely different turn and finish better. The aim is to aim as high as possible in these races.
- Could the relay also be in the back of your mind?
Of course they’re two different things. Individual performance is a personal objective that depends solely on me. And of course the relay, in France at least, is something that’s very special and very much appreciated. For the moment, it’s in the back of my mind, that’s for sure. As for the team line-up, we’ll only know when the time comes. But in any case, whatever line-up the staff chooses, I’m sure the relay team will have what it takes to bring home a very fine medal.
Read also
- The French selection for the Trondheim Worlds
- The full programme for the 2025 World Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships in Trondheim
