Photo: Bildbyrån
The WC in cross-country skiing starts in February 2025.
The Norwegian Johannes Hösflot Kläbo is of course the favorite to take home several gold medals at home in Trondheim – but he singles out William Poromaa as a major competitor. Now the Swede responds to the statement.
– Of course it’s nice to hear. Hope he is right, he says to langd.se.
The Norwegian Johannes Hösflot Kläbo27, has been dominating the ski world for years now. Despite his young age, he has managed to win nine WC gold medals from the last three world championships. He has won three straight golds in sprint, sprint relay and 4×10 km relay, from Austria’s Seefeld, Germany’s Oberstdorf and Slovenia’s Planica. In the last championship, he also got a silver in the 50 km classic and 30 km skiathlon.
Kläbo pays tribute to the Swedes
It is thus a recognized WC king who is looking forward to the world championship in Trondheim, Norway in February next year. Of course, he is the big favorite for several of the gold medals, especially in sprints. But maybe he can challenge for the podium places even in the longer distances?
He has basically done all the pre-season training in Utah, USA, to prepare for the new season. Kläbo already has a strong feeling for which Swedish skaters will give him a challenge this year.
– I’m guessing (William) Poromaahe will definitely be difficult. And Calle (Halfvarsson) I hope for. Then it will be exciting to watch Alvar (Myhlback) if he will take the next step. It will be exciting to see, he told SVT Sport recently.
“Should be able to beat him”
When William Poromaa, 23, hears what the Norwegian rival has said about him, he is happy. At the same time, he talks about how he has been training recently to be able to challenge Johannes Hösflot Kläbo and the other top skaters. He is confident ahead of the new season and believes in a successful WC.
– Of course it’s nice to hear. Hope he’s right. I will have two years with more training and better preparation than last time. Then, of course, he hasn’t been lying on the sofa since then either, but we have to hope that we can beat him, he says to the site langd.se.
READ MORE: Johannes Hösflot Kläbo opens up about Frida Karlsson – after the famous picture of the skiing stars: “I have to say it”
Like many other Swedish – and international – skiers, Poromaa will skip a lot of World Cup competitions this winter in order to focus entirely on the WC. Some will not compete in the Tour de Ski, others ignore the competitions in Falun because the national team is running a high-altitude camp for the WC at the same time.
– It is difficult as a skater not to prioritize a WC or Olympics and a medal at a championship covers an entire season. Sometimes you have to be a little selfish and take care of yourself to reach your goals, says Poromaa.
It will be so exciting to see how the Swedes do this season. Both on the women’s and men’s side, it feels optimistic. Hello Sweden!
How do you think it will go in the skiing WC for Sweden? Feel free to comment!
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