“Has meant an incredible amount to me”

Ebba Andersson is one of Sweden’s most current cross-country skiers.
In order to reach the top of the world, she has clearly been inspired by a special person – and it is one of our absolute greatest.
– She has meant an incredible amount to me, says Ebba Andersson.

Ebba Andersson made her World Cup debut in 2015 with an impressive 16th place finish – even though she then had three years left in her time as a junior. Since then, there have been two Olympic medals, four WC medals, including one gold, and a lot of other awards.

The big idol

Andersson was only 10 years old when the icon Charlotte Kalla broke through during the Tour de ski 2007/2008 – and that’s when she decided she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her great idol.
– It’s probably my first memory when it comes to Charlotte, it was great for ten-year-old Ebba to be able to follow her progress on the hill. She inspired me to one day do something similar, Andersson says in an interview with the site Längd.se.

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It’s no secret that Charlotte Kalla has meant a lot to Swedish cross-country skiing, and has also had great significance for Ebba Andersson herself.
– Charlotte has meant an incredible amount to me but also to skiing in general. She really started an era of great success on the women’s side. For me personally, she has also been a great security to have in the team and a person I applied to, she says.
– We enjoy being together very well and it has been an asset to be able to share experiences and lessons learned with her.

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“Then I was quite upset”

During the SC week in Piteå last spring, they were both pitted against each other in a sprint showdown. Then Andersson had to see himself defeated by his role model.
– Right then and there, I was quite upset that I lost a sprint match against Charlotte. But when the bitter loss had subsided, of course I rejoiced with her.

The article continues after the picture.