Facts: Frida Karlsson
Born: 10 August 1999 in Sollefteå (23 years old).
Club: Sollefteå Skidor IF.
Main achievements: Olympic bronze relay 2022, WC gold relay 2019, WC silver 10 km (classic) 2019, WC silver skiathlon 2021, WC silver 10 km (freestyle) 2021, WC bronze 30 km (f) 2019 , WC bronze 30 km (k) 2021. Seven individual victories in the World Cup.
The 23-year-old cross-country star has been beaming throughout the tour. The Swede’s personal trainer, Per Nilsson, has previously told us during the tour that he has never seen Karlsson in better basic training than she is now.
Karlsson agrees.
— I feel very stable, I feel that it does not sway as much as it did before, it could differ from one week to another. I’m starting to learn a lot about what the body can tolerate and my limits – and what I need for recovery versus training, she tells TT.
Huge lead
At worst, Karlsson has gone to the quarter-finals (sprint in Val di Fiemme) in the six stages completed before the seventh and decisive one. In the other five stages, the result line has been: 5th, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 2nd.
When the climb up the last hill, Alpe Cermis, is to begin, the 23-year-old does so with a gigantic lead: one minute and twelve seconds ahead of the nearest chaser, the Norwegian Tiril Udnes Weng.
“It’s good if she hangs on a door frame again,” says Tiril Udnes Weng when asked what can stop Karlsson from winning.
Two years ago, Karlsson missed the end of the tour when she injured her back after doing chins in a door frame and fell to the floor.
This year, the Swede was painted as one of the favorites in advance and two of the other favorites that were talked about, Norwegian Heidi Weng and American Jessie Diggins, have not delivered at all during the tour.
Controlled the races
When the sack is now tied together, the duo is 3.47 and 5.23 respectively behind Karlsson.
— I don’t really have a problem with it, what others say is one thing, but what you feel from the inside is what’s important. I usually grow from having confidence. Now I’m actually going to take some initiative and steer a bit in the races, said Karlsson before the first stage.
And that’s exactly how the tour unfolded.
One measly competition left, then Frida Karlsson is Tour de Ski champion, which also means roughly 900,000 kroner in the bank account.
“I haven’t won yet, but it would be really cool,” she says.