PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Skiing is usually a friendly sport.
But in this case, the Swedish stars are brutally honest about which opponent they prefer to avoid.
– It could be that I have bad experiences with her, says Emma Ribom to Expressen.
The World Cup season has started very well for our Swedish cross-country skiers. There has been a Swede at the top of the podium in five of the seven opening races, including one relay. They really make us proud!
Swedish sawing
But there are some contenders that are starting to get closer. The American Jessie Diggins has now won two competitions this season – 10 kilometer freestyle in Gällivare and then 10 kilometer freestyle in Östersund. The latter was a real low-water mark for Sweden this season as well Ebba Andersson as best skater in ninth place.
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When Ebba Andersson, Moa Ilar, Jonna Sundling and Emma Ribom guested on Viaplay’s new TV feature “Expert sofa”, they were all asked who is the messiest rider in the tracks of everyone they have come across. At the time, Diggins was not involved in the discussion. Instead, it was the former rider Justyna Kowalczyk which was singled out as the third messiest of them. The Pole was also notorious for being just that during his time active.
Now striking back
Second on the list was the teammate Frida Karlsson. And the German Victoria Carl was named the worst of all according to the Swedes. They say they had incidents with Carl, and usually avoid taking the same heat as her in the sprint.
Emma Ribom then developed that answer for Expressen.
– Sometimes it’s so bad that I avoid her. It could be that I have bad experiences with her, but I think she is flaky. She is everywhere and nowhere. I wouldn’t have wanted to be the messiest one on the track, I can say, says Ribom.
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When Victoria Carl – who finished third in Sunday’s nightmare race from a Swedish perspective – hears about this, she takes it all in stride.
– Haha, I can imagine them mentioning me. I am tall, big and take up a lot of space. Then I can gain a lot of meters on the flat parts of the track. Many people have a hard time with it.
– It doesn’t feel difficult at all to be singled out as the messiest to tender, I just want to do it more. It makes me want to get worse, says Carl to the evening newspaper.
READ MORE: Ebba Andersson reveals the honest words to Charlotte Kalla – after the great anger at the World Cup: “Just so you know…”
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