Emma Ribom’s huge rain of money – the nice words after the financial blockbuster: “It’s a dream”

Emma Ribom has been a smash hit during the start of the season.
It shows in the wallet.
– A dream that comes true, she tells TT about the matchless sum.

Emma Ribom has been the winter’s biggest exclamation mark in the Swedish national skiing team. She won the season opener in Ruka, and a week or so later, in Östersund, there was another sprint win. She has also won the World Cup relay with Sweden.

Ribom’s huge success

And the great success is also felt in the wallet. If you look at the total money league in the World Cup, Jessie Diggins leads ahead of Ebba Andersson, but right behind is Emma Ribom – who has collected almost SEK 600,000 so far during the short season. That’s more than she’s ever driven in this early in a season.

And for Ribom, who for many years stood a bit in the shadow of sprint stars such as Linn Svahn, Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist, it is a dream come true.

– This is something I’ve dreamed of since I was little. To be able to be among the world’s elite and to be able to do what I like best. A dream comes true, says Emma Ribom to TT.

Clear desire

At the same time, cross-country skiers earn less than other, similar sports. Elvira Öberg, for example, has earned SEK 820,000 so far during the season, and in the alpine world, Mikaela Shiffrin has earned almost SEK 3 million. For Ribom, however, the money comes second hand.

– It’s a bonus, but I don’t think about that when I’m competing. Then it’s about skiing as fast as possible, she says.

At the same time, there are many cross-country skiers who find it difficult to make ends meet. Ribom says she wishes more people could make a living from the sport, and not just the top athletes.

– I know how tough it was for me to get it going a few years ago. It would be good to get more money into the sport so that more people can continue with cross-country skiing. For me, it is powerful to have this as a job and to be able to live on it.