Cross-country skiing: The goal for Stina Nilsson: “Winning the Vasaloppet would be the greatest”

The winter’s long-distance races, Skinnarloppet and Idre-Särnaloppet, gave Stina Nilsson extra flavor and after the victories, the national team biathlete – and the multiple Olympic and World Cup medalist in cross-country skiing – received a text message from Jörgen Aukland.

– I had so many very positive feelings both before and after that (the races are edited note), without even having trained at all to stake. When the message died down, I became so curious about what I can achieve by actually practicing staking, says Nilsson to SVT Sport.

The text later led to a career change and a two-year deal with Team Ragde Charge.

“Incredibly exciting”

The Aukland brothers have been an important part in the development of Ski Classics and are now looking forward to helping Stina Nilsson achieve new successes.

– She is a skier that we have admired for a long time. She has great potential and the fact that we get to help her is incredibly exciting, says Anders Aukland.

This year the team was third in the team competition in Ski Classics and three of the men’s skaters took all the podium places in the championship total. Nilsson is looking forward to the new training plan and the challenges of long-distance running.

– The level of the girls who stake is incredibly high and I am very humble about that, but also very willing to do a hard job.

“Driven by development”

– I don’t see it as switching back to cross-country skiing, but switching to long-distance skiing, I’m really switching forward and not back. I am well driven by development and curiosity. To throw myself into this kind of thing and see where I end up.

The Vasaloppet is the long-term goal, but the most important thing now is to have a good training summer and transition into his new venture.

Have you ever regretted the decision to switch to biathlon?

– No, because there is a lot of great things that I have been able to experience these four years and I believe a lot in creating memories. That’s why I do this, I want to create memories that I will be proud of and be able to look back on when I’m older.