This is a comment text. The author is responsible for the analysis and positioning in the text.
It was the end of the 2014 Olympic Games. Charlotte Kalla had won two individual silver medals and completed her legendary relay route. It was time for the last three miles and Kalla was a big gold rush.
It took a mile.
Kalla had something in her body that affected her ability to react and she fell through the field.
Why doesn’t she break I thought.
She finished 31st. Afterwards everyone said that skiers shouldn’t let their bodies and minds get used to breaking. Don’t use the emergency exit that the brain so often points to when pain comes.
Therefore, not breaking races seems to be deeply rooted.
Breaking an Olympics Apparently it turned out perfectly fine.
So much so that Sweden hasn’t even assembled a full team in the men’s five-mile race and is in danger of failing to make it in the women’s race. Everything depends on Frida Karlsson’s cold.
I understand when small skiing nations have difficulty filling their places at the end of an Olympics, but Sweden doesn’t – it shouldn’t look like that.
It is standard practice for a five-mile race to end the championship, and then it has long been necessary to plan for there to be drivers for the races.
Instead, convenience was created. The team management thinks it’s perfectly fine for the riders to go home because they don’t feel like riding a strenuous five miles. And the drivers who are not in the starting plans will be sent home as quickly as possible.
Of course, Linn Svahn should have been here after she recovered.
The drivers, most of whom were not eligible to start in the two five-mile races at the weekend, did not have to stay overnight in the national team hotel. But he would definitely live and train nearby so that he could step in if he became ill. Like now.
Instead, Truls Gisselman, for example, was at home, recovering after an illness. Of course, Linn Svahn should have been here after she recovered.
Johanna Hagström won the Tjejvasa on Saturday. It’s fun for Hagström, but it’s sad to say the least when Frida Karlsson can’t start and the world’s best women’s national team doesn’t fill all the spots.
The Olympics are the biggest thing exists in the world of winter sports, but suddenly defending a second place in the World Cup is considered more important.
Sure, Moa Ilar didn’t have a good championship, but the national team management needs to make all skaters aware of the collective responsibility to make the most of the spots that the Swedish Olympic Committee gave to the cross-country skiing team.
Yes, skiers are individuals, but they must understand that they are part of a team. Sometimes they have to stand up and “take one for the team.”
Extreme events can occur. But that wasn’t the cause of the collapse.
How much fun does alpine speed skater Felix Monsén have? He didn’t even get the spot for the Olympics even though he should have. And then he sees cross-country skiers going home because they don’t want to go, even though they should.
The Swedish Olympic Committee must Make it clear that a national team ensures that there are athletes who compete in the places that Sweden has. Of course, extreme events can occur. But it wasn’t the reason for the breakdown that only three Swedish ski musketeers competed in the men’s five-mile race.
Gustaf Berglund showed a good performance and came ninth. Calle Halfvarsson managed with bad skis, dropped to 36th place, but finished 24th, ahead of sprinter Johan Häggström.
The trio did the bare minimum that could be asked of a skier at the Olympics. They were ready to go.
The Swedish men’s national cross-country skiing team will have its worst Olympics season after winning three medals at the World Championships last year. There were two jumps and neither William Poromaa nor Edvin Anger had good Olympics.
Sweden will do its part best Olympic Games on the women’s side, where Sunday can bring the fifth gold.
For Johannes Høsflot Klæbo it was the second championship in a row with six out of six possible gold medals. The best Winter Olympians of all time are also the best skiers of all time.
Read more:
Norwegian dominance in Swedish men’s cross-country skiing made for a historically poor Olympics
