Frida Karlsson is a role model for many.
But does the star have the biggest idol?
– I looked up to him very much, says Karlsson.
According to many, Frida Karlsson is the great heir to Therese Johaug in cross-country skiing. The Norwegian has completely dominated in recent years, winning pretty much everything there is to win. Her only real challenger has often been Frida Karlsson, who is now predicted to take a further step after Johaug chose to end her career.
Revealing the great idol
Frida Karlsson has already had time to make a big impression in the WC and in the World Cup, and this despite the fact that she is only 23 years old. With all the fame, she is also a given role model for many young people, and there is a whole skiing world of young practitioners who look up to the Swede. But speaking of idols, who is Frida Karlsson’s idol?
Sportbibeln asked the question to Frida Karlsson during the winter, and she then told who she looked up to the most over the years.
– I looked up to Petter Northug very much. It was like posters and everything. I think I liked that he was a little special. After all, he changed the sport and made a bit of a show out of it all. He made it so that it actually became interesting, and so that a larger audience applied to skiing, she says.
“He dared to stand out”
Frida Karlsson believes that Northug revolutionized cross-country skiing and greatly broadened interest.
– He had that talk in the media, and still dared to stand out. He also changed physically, the way he sprinted and lay on his back, because no one had done that before. How to change speed, and really go your own way in training. But he was also someone who emphasized how important it is to actually have fun, and that you can take anything with a heel kick.
Today, Karlsson believes that she does not have a given idol, but that she instead values other qualities in those who are close to her.
– I look up to many. I look up to many who are not famous, people who just spread joy. I like that, and I look for people like that, she says.
The new ski season starts in a little more than two months, with the traditional season premiere in Ruka.
READ MORE: Jonna Sundling’s nice words about Frida Karlsson – after the star’s sensitive choice: “I think it’s absolutely right”