The competition for the Swedish female athlete of the year title is so fierce this year that the two cross-country skiers Ebba Andersson and Jonna Sundling, who won the World Cup gold, were left without a nomination.
When the candidates for Sweden’s female athlete of the year were announced today, the skiing population of the western neighbor improved. Not a single cross-country skier was nominated, even though Swedish women won medals at the World Championships in Planica in February-March. Ebba Andersson won two World Championship golds and a bronze, Jonna Sundling two gold and Frida Karlsson two silver and two bronze.
– It is difficult to do more than they have done, the two-gold World Cup queens Andersson and Sundling and Tour de Ski winner Karlsson. I was hoping at least one of them would be nominated because they did so well, of the Swedish public broadcasting company SVT ski expert Anders Blomquist says.
In addition to the successful cross-country skiers, two individual gold, silver and relay bronze medalists were dropped from the candidate list at the Biathlon World Championships in February Hanna Öberg. However, he is nominated in the performance of the year category.
Sweden’s male and female athlete of the year is chosen in January. Of course, there are plenty of successful candidates for female athlete of the year in Sweden from outside cross-country skiing: a freestyle skier Sandra Näslunda volleyball player Isabelle Haakguide Tove Alexandersson and a swimmer Sarah Sjostrom.
Näslund, Alexandersson and Sjöström all have two World Championship golds from this year. In February, Näslund won skicross World Cup gold in both the individual competition and the mixed pair competition.
Sjöström, chosen as Sweden’s best female athlete five times, swam to two golds at the long course World Championships in Fukuoka. On the other hand, orienteering top Alexandersson won two individual World Championship golds and two European Championship golds this year.
Earlier this year, the world volleyball star Haak celebrated the Italian championship and the club team world championship in the ranks of Imoco Volley, but the Swedish national team, which he supports, missed out on success in the European Championships.
Chairman of the committee responsible for the list of candidates for Idrottsgala Björn Eriksson stated to SVT that the level is extremely tough this year.
– Who would you personally remove from the list of candidates? The level has been so good that it is almost impossible to remove any of them, Eriksson said.
A pole vaulter is nominated for Swedish male athlete of the year Armand Duplantisdiscus thrower Daniel Ståhlhorseman Henrik von Eckermann and biathlon Sebastian Samuelsson. Duplantis, Ståhl and Samuelsson are world champions and von Eckermann is the European champion for this year.